Lost Fork Restoration Plan

Seattle, Washington

ROLE: landscape architecture

SCOPE OF WORK: environmental restoration master plan

STATUS: plan completed 2002

CLIENT: I'm A PAL Foundation

Restoring Hamm Creek's "Lost Fork" could significantly increase Seattle's wild salmon fishery. Hamm Creek, a stream that flows through the industrial lands of South Park into the Duwamish River, is already home to a large percentage of Seattle's wild salmon runs. They return to the South Fork, which has plenty of intact and restored riparian habitat. The headwaters of the Mid and “Lost” forks are also in good shape. However, the Mid Fork becomes a series of ditches and pipes polluted by industrial runoff, and the Lost Fork disappears into a storm sewer pipe. This plan proposes to restore the Lost Fork by connecting a series of existing ponds and riparian fragments. Additionally, clean water from the Mid Fork headwaters can be diverted to healthy stream habitat in the restored Lost Fork. Future steps include moving the mouth of Hamm Creek out from under a building and building habitat ponds and a field classroom.