The City of Kent and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concluded construction of this ecosystem restoration project in the summer of 2005.
The Meridian Valley Creek Realignment Project was the first project to be constructed under the Green/Duwamish River Ecosystem Restoration Project. The project involved several habitat restoration techniques aimed at benefiting coho salmon, native trout and other species.
Meridian Valley Creek was rerouted into a concrete flume parallel to 256th Street SE in Kent , Wash. more than 30 years ago. The flume did not provide resting areas for salmon or mimic a natural stream system.
The project involved excavating a new channel that now meanders through open land and existing wetlands before entering Big Soos Creek. This alignment is approximately 1,150 feet and incorporates large woody debris, spawning gravel and scour pools used as resting areas for the resident and anadromous fish. The channel and back water areas also provide additional habitat to amphibians and other wildlife in the Big Soos Creek Watershed.