Fauntleroy Creek Culvert Replacement

Three culverts convey Fauntleroy Creek flow from headwaters in Fauntleroy Park to Fauntleroy Cove in central Puget Sound. The city replaced the culvert under Fauntleroy Way SW in 1998 and it is not part of this project.

One of the remaining two culverts is under 45th Avenue SW and is solely owned by the City of Seattle. The other is under California Avenue SW and the Fauntleroy Church parking lot. The city owns the portion of this culvert under the street, plus about one third of the culvert under the parking lot; the church owns the rest.

Seattle Public Utilities has assessed these two culverts as being in need of replacement. Both are nearing the end of their useful life and both are barriers to coho salmon spawners’ being able to reach habitat in the upper creek. In 2017, SPU began planning replacements that would reduce the risk of culvert failure, mitigate storm-related flooding, and restore spawner passage.

SPU’s project team has been working closely with Fauntleroy Church throughout the planning process and periodically updates the FCA Board and the Fauntleroy Watershed Council. The team has employed open-house and information-table formats to engage the wider community and keeps residents regularly informed through articles in FCA’s quarterly Neighbors newsletter.

Fauntleroy Creek Culverts Replacement Project | Update on 45th Ave SW Culvert

date posted: 12 Apr 2023

This,from SPU:

Fauntleroy Creek Culverts Replacement Project | Update on 45th Ave SW Culvert

Dear Neighbors,

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) would like to provide an update regarding theactivities near the 45th Ave SW culvert on Fauntleroy Creek. You may have noticed increased activity in this area, including the development of ponded waterin the ravine upstream of the culvert. SPU is closely monitoring this culvert and is prepared to manage the water if it ponds too deep.  

Three weeks ago, when water started to pond upstream, SPU investigated anddetermined that the culvert was mostly blocked with debris. During this time, SPUhas been assessing repair options and actively monitoring and evaluating the culvert and upstream conditions. As soon as Wednesday, April 12, SPU will use a pump and bypass system to attempt to lower the water level upstream of the culvert to better assess conditions in the culvert. During this temporary work, you can expect periodic noise from the pumping equipment and slower traffic in the work area. This work would occur during daytime hours.  

SPU will continue to perform work at the culvert to eliminate the blockage and may change strategies depending on the culvert and weather conditions. SPU will continue to keep the community updated on the progress of this evaluation and condition of the culvert as the situation develops. For questions about this work, please contact Josh Meidav at josh.meidav@seattle.gov or (206) 437-7528.

For More Information:

As part of the Fauntleroy Creek Culverts Replacement Project, we previously shared that this culvert is nearing the end of its life and needs to be replaced. SPU is in the process of developing a design for this culvert (you can view early design concepts on our project website). Since Fauntleroy Creek is a salmon-bearing creek, there are requirements from State and Federal agencies that must be met and reviewed during the culvert’s design process. As a result, the design will not be completed for several years, with construction anticipated to start in summer 2026. For more information on this future work, please visit the project website.  

Stay Updated!

Do you have neighbors who might like to receive these updates? Please forward this email and encourage them to sign up to receive email updates.

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Fauntleroy Creek Culvert Replacement Online Open House

date posted: 30 Mar 2019

If you missed the open house there is still an opportunity to have your voice heard regarding the Fauntleroy Creek Culvert Replacement Project.

Review the Online Display Boards

Then Submit your Feedback

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