Fife Construction Project Aims To Restore Fish & Wetland Habitats

FIFE, WA — The Puyallup Tribe of Indians, City of Fife, and the Port of Tacoma have teamed up for a long-term construction project that aims to restore multiple habitats along the Lower Wapato Creek.

As the City of Fife explains, crews broke ground Monday and will be working through February 2022 to restore roughly 20 acres of land between 12th Street East and SR 509. That restoration will include rerouting the stream from the current ditched system into a longer, healthier channel and wetlands. The Port of Tacoma says rerouting the passage will create a larger and habitat for local salmon, and restore several wetland habitats — which are rare in Commencement Bay and thus a high-priority for restoration.

Crews will also replace the 12th Street Wapato Creek culverts with a new bridge. The construction means that 12th Street East will be closed from 46th Avenue East to Alexander Avenue East for the better part of a year.

But in return for that minor traffic hassle, the environment will benefit massively, organizers say. Not only will the new wetland habitats support native plants that have been struggling in the area, but the improved fish passage under the bridge will complement the Puyallup Tribe of Indian's salmon restoration projects upstream. Plus, a healthier salmon population has the add-on benefit of helping the endangered Southern Resident Orcas, who rely on the Chinook Salmon for food.

The restoration project has been a work in the making for nearly seven years.

“Every acre of intertidal habitat we can restore is a step in the right direction,” said Bill Sterud, the current Tribal Council chairman in a written statement, released last August. “The value of this type of habitat for fish, wildlife and water quality is undisputed. The struggle has been trying to find locations where we can cost effectively insert these features within our growing industrial complex.”