Kirkland Receives Grant to Improve Water Quality in Juanita Creek
Published on April 29, 2024
Media Contact: David Wolbrecht
Communications Program Manager
dwolbrecht@kirklandwa.gov
(425) 587-3021
Having clean streams, creeks, and lakes in Kirkland is something that we all want. To support this goal, the City has secured funding for improvements to water quality in Juanita Creek, which is Kirkland’s largest salmon bearing stream.
“The health of our natural waterways is something that we can all support,” said Councilmember John Tymczyszyn. “Kirkland takes pride in preserving our streams and creeks to promote a healthier watershed for the benefit of all community members. We are grateful to King County for this grant to support our ongoing efforts to protect Kirkland’s natural environment.”
King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s WaterWorks grant funding will be used by the City to partner with the Adopt A Stream Foundation and the Washington Conservation Corps to help stream neighbors improve the health of Juanita Creek. The Kirkland Parks and Community Services Department has been working to restore native vegetation in parks along Juanita Creek with previous WaterWorks grant funding. However, approximately two-thirds of the land along Juanita Creek is privately owned.
City staff and Adopt A Stream Foundation ecologists will engage with property owners along Juanita Creek near Windsor Vista Park and Edith Moulton Park. Together, they will identify and recommend steps to improve the health of Juanita Creek in their backyards. A limited number of landscaping projects will be selected for implementation by the Washington Conservation Corps crews at no or little cost.
Kirkland residents who do not live along Juanita Creek near Windsor Vista Park or Edith Moulton Park may still qualify for up to $5,000 in rebates for installing native landscaping or rain gardens through the City’s Yard Smart Rain Rewards program. Learn more at kirklandwa.gov/yardsmart.
For more information about Kirkland’s efforts to restore natural areas in parks, visit www.greenkirkland.org. For more information about the Adopt A Stream Foundation, visit www.streamkeeper.org.