Cemetery Pond Wetland Protection and Restoration

Save the Date: Cemetery Pond open house on May 14^th

King County open house and final design update for the Cemetery Pond wetland restoration project

DESIGN PRESENTATION AND OPEN HOUSE
In-Person and Online

Hilltop Heritage Elementary
1075 Duvall Ave NE, Renton, WA 98059

From 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. King County will present the final design for the Cemetery Pond wetland restoration project and host a Q&A. This is your opportunity to see the progress on this important restoration work, share your thoughts and feedback on the Stormwater Park.

Sign up for project updates to your email or mobile phone.

Find out more about the project and how to get involved from a recent King County noxious weed blog post.

Our design team is available to attend community meetings, schools, or other events in the broader May Creek and Cemetery Pond wetland areas. Do you have a meeting you'd like us to come to? Invite us to attend at mmcnair@kingcounty.gov.

Background

May Creek is a stream where Chinook salmon begin their lives and return to spawn. Chinook salmon are a keystone species; a species that hold together the web of relationships in an ecosystem. They play a critical role in supporting and maintaining ecological health, are key to resident orcas’ diet and in the social fabric of First Nations and tribal culture. Chinook salmon (also known as king salmon) are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Value of restoration and protection

The table below gives examples of why it is important to protect and restore the Cemetery Pond wetland.

Investigation, design, and permitting phase

The County started the site investigation, design, and permitting phase of this effort to protect and restore the wetland in 2022. This phase will improve stormwater management by designing options to remove about two acres of historic fill.

The goal is to expand the wetland and restore required planting buffers while reducing maintenance cost through sustainable design practices and community stewardship.

The existing wetland is approximately 7.6 acres with 5.4 acres of buffer. The project will remove about two acres of fill, depending on the results of community co-design, permitting, and construction funding.

Project goals

• Help restore the wetland. The project will restore the natural functions of soils and native plants that help slow and absorb rainfall, reduce flooding, and provide habitat and green space.
• Provide amenities for the community. During development of the design, the County will work with neighbors and the community on the design of stormwater park amenities for the Cemetery Pond wetland restoration. The project will consider improved public access, and stormwater park amenities (educational signs, benches, waste bins, etc.).
• Create a stewardship plan for long term maintenance of the wetland area. Continued community stewardship will improve habitat by removing invasive species from the wetland and buffer to help native plants thrive and supporting a high-functioning wetland habitat. We welcome participation in the protection, restoration and maintenance of this important wetland.
• Expanded protection through continued property acquisitions with interested landowners. If you are interested in discussing the sale of your property with King County please contact King County Open Space Acquisitions. We are committed to reaching out to neighborhood property owners and other interested partners.

Timeline

*Announcements for community work parties and design input sessions will be sent through email.
Sign up for project updates to your email or mobile phone.

**Contingent on funding and permits

***Contingent on plant establishment

Partnerships

• Key community partners include the Community Alliance to Reach out and Engage (C.A.R.E), a group associated with the Four Creeks Unincorporated Area Council organization, other community groups, local residents, and neighbors.
• This project is funded by:
  • Washington State Department of Ecology Stormwater Financial Assistance Program and Centennial Clean Water Program grants
  • King County Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)
  • King County Conservation Futures (CFT)
  • King County Parks Levy
  • King County Department of Local Services Participatory Budget
  • King County Surface Water Management (SWM) Fee
• King County’s Community Investment Budget Committee awarded the Cemetery Pond wetland restoration project:
  1. $54,000 in funding to support the future installation of interpretive signs near wetland ponds to educate the community about preserving the wetland and providing public access and amenities. (2024)
  2. $85,000 in funding to support continued acquisitions of the wetland and its buffer, which supported a parcel purchase. This funding helped add more than an acre to the wetland restoration project site. Learn more about the Community Investment Budget Committee's involvement with this Cemetery Pond project in this video.
• Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8)
• The Cedar River, Issaquah Creek Basin Steward, Judy Blanco, works with residents to answer questions about best management practices, regulations, wildlife concerns, land conservation, habitat restoration, and water quality concerns. For more information, email jublanco@kingcounty.gov or call Judy Blanco at 206-263-8445.

We welcome the community’s partnership to advance stewardship of this critical natural resource and will continue reaching out to neighbors to encourage participation in the restoration and maintenance of this wetland.