The project site is located in Kent, Wash., and extends from the outlet of Lake Meridian at Lake Meridian Park to the confluence with Soos Creek.  City of Kent is the local sponsor.  This $2.3 million project consists of building approximately 2,500 feet of new stream channel. The project site is located in Kent, Wash., and extends from the outlet of Lake Meridian at Lake Meridian Park to the confluence with Soos Creek.  The City of Kent is the local sponsor.

"We are pleased to move ahead with this project that will ultimately reduce flooding in the surrounding neighborhoods before the next rainy season. We appreciate the partnership between the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that have made this improvement possible," said Beth Tan, City of Kent senior environmental engineer.

U.S Veterans Construction & Management, Corp., a business based in Buffalo, N.Y., will build the project.  The proejct was completed in November 2011. 

"This project is part of a phased project," said Gordon Thomson, Corps of Engineers Seattle District senior project manager.  "Phase one, completed in 2007, consisted of building an outlet control structure at the lake to regulate and release flows longer into the summer months into the new channel system."

Green/Duwamish Ecosystem Restoration Project
This project is a comprehensive restoration program for the entire Green/Duwamish ecosystem spanning the tidal
estuaries to the spawning and wildlife habitat areas in the upper basin.  The Lake Meridian Outlet project is one of 45 separate projects that emphasize the restoration of critical habitat within the Green/Duwamish River watershed.

The project goal is to restore salmonid rearing habitat and passage into Lake Meridian.  This will be accomplished by replacing the existing Lake Meridian Outlet alignment with a naturally functioning waterway between Lake Meridian and Soos Creek. A secondary goal is to enhance existing wetlands. This will be accomplished by placing an impermeable lining in existing wetland areas to prevent water loss.  This project has been broken down into three phases:

Phase 1 (complete):   An outlet control structure at the lake was built in the summer of 2007 to regulate and release flows longer into the summer months into the new channel system.
Phase 2 (complete):  Construction of approximately 2,500 feet of new stream channel. 
Phase 3 (complete):  Wetland preservation and restoration involving placement of a soil liner, removal of invasive non-native plants, and system-wide plantings. 

The project site is located in Kent, Wash., and extends from the outlet of Lake Meridian at Lake Meridian Park to the confluence with Soos Creek.  City of Kent is the local sponsor.