MacKay Landscape Services is proud to be the landscape contractor for the Elliott Reach project. Creating new wetlands and augmenting established wetlands located along the Cedar River in Renton was successful and rewarding for everyone involved.
In more official terms (aka King County’s official description), the Elliott Bridge Reach Mitigation Project will reduce downstream flood risks, and improve wetland /aquatic habitats in a stretch of the river which currently lacks habitat diversity. The project restores approximately four acres of an active floodplain along the Cedar River, adding flood storage capacity and improving salmon habitat.
Over two months’ time, we established and enhanced the floodplain and wetland areas by:
- Removing invasive species
- Planting 21,000 sitka willow, pacific willow, and cottonwood live stakes
- Installing 7000 container plants of native shrubs and trees
As with any project of this type, County biologists and engineers studied the property as the job unfolded and recommended field changes as needed. MacKay Landscape Services worked with the County and the general contractor closely as the project progressed. Jobs of this scope and scale often require flexibility in the subcontractor and we are proud to report that with significant changes to the project, MacKay Landscape was still able to deliver a quality project completed on time.
Over the next year, MacKay Landscape Services will continue working with King County to observe and maintain the Elliott Reach area, and to ensure that the install takes hold, allowing optimal establishment of salmon habitat and a well-managed floodplain.
Since our install, river flooding and clearing has brought in a great deal of cobble at the base of the live stakes.
This is a good example of how man gives nature a good start, then the river takes care of the rest to integrate the new wetland. Only Mother Nature can dictate how the Cedar River site will ultimately look as the plants and trees grow out and re-establish the natural landscape in this area.
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