Springbrook Creek protected natural area either accidentally or intentionally set on fire

The environmentally sensitive Springbrook Creek Wetland Mitigation Bank has been set on fire, either intentionally or accidentally. The boardwalk that was installed to keep visitors from stepping on delicate habitat is now in ruins in the fire scene.

Cathy and me on a walk in 2019, and the boardwalk and vegetation as it looked before it burned.

There was a fire a few days ago that burned a sensitive environmental area in the valley in Renton.  The fire appears to be human caused.  Thankfully our outstanding Renton Fire Authority limited the damage, or it could have been much worse.

Nearby water quality is spoiled by fire debris from Trex decking and other materials. The Trex was chosen for the boardwalk to avoid the risk of the toxins in pressure-treated lumber leaching into this sensitive area. Trex is hard to light on fire, but unfortunately hard to extinguish once it catches.

The red tape of the fire line can be seen behind this sign indicating the sensitivity of the area

These signs surround the site, and people are supposed to only walk on the now-burned boardwalk. The red tape in the background is the fire line.

From 2003 to 2009 the Renton City Council and Mayor’s office worked closely with the State Department of Ecology, WSDOT,  and other agencies to create a natural wetland habitat to help protect displaced and threatened migratory birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals in the Renton/Kent Valley.  As an engineer and environmentalist, I took great interest in this project, and I participated in many of the meetings prior to construction. The area was to be terraformed and landscaped with only native plants, and complex irrigation systems were installed throughout the planting area to ensure they became well established.  Washington Department of Ecology features the successful project on their website here.

To help the public learn about the delicate ecosystem, a boardwalk was constructed of Trex material that bisected the project, and pedestrians could walk across the native habitat as long as they stayed on the walkway so they would not harm the sensitive nature below.

We dedicated the Springbrook Creek Wetland Mitigation Bank as a new park in May 2009, after millions of dollars were invested and countless hours of paid and volunteer labor were completed.  The new park was called a “Mitigation Bank” because the 129 acres of land  and the improvements were funded by builders and developers who wanted to fill in smaller sections of wetland in the valley.  They could do so if they contributed an equivalent amount of land into the “wetland bank,” replacing their wetland with the new protected, cultivated, larger one on Springbrook Creek.  The State Department of Transportation became a major contributor and partner as they needed to fill wetlands when they were widening I-167.

Renton children helped complete the planting.  These pictures are from WSDOT and can be found along with many more here.

Mayor Law and I participated in the ribbon cutting for Springbrook Creek Wetland Mitigation Bank.  The green ribbon in this photo spans the exact same location as the red caution tape in the fire picture above. (Note the same metal bollard in the bottom front of both pictures.)

A few years after the work was completed, the native vegetation looked healthy and beautiful, and a stunning number of animal species had moved in.  It had become a favorite stop for migratory birds and countless smaller animals,  along with foxes, racoons, and I’ve been told even a bear has been sighted.

I’ve walked it occasionally to keep an eye on it and enjoy the nature that has been returning.  After all this work by so many people, it’s sad to see that someone has lit it on fire. But there’s nothing short of a lightning strike that would have made this wetland burn on its own

I’m certain Renton will find a way to rebuild the boardwalk, clean up the debris, remove the toxins from the water, and replace the plants. It will cost a lot of money so while we’re at it, we should take steps to keep it from burning again.