Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks

Threat

Though the significant character-defining elements of the site retain remarkable integrity, just weeks after landmark designation took place in spring 2008, the City of Kent began construction to raise the height of the earthen berm by two feet. The project was undertaken in response to a new Washington State Department of Ecology regulation meant to prevent catastrophic flooding. (The new dam spillway meets a 10,000 year storm requirement, Bayer’s design addressed a 100 year storm requirement.) City of Kent staff and King County Historic Preservation staff are working closesly with environmental engineers to minimize the visual impact and oversee construction.

 

The City’s Parks Department maintains the site. Today, intensive maintenance is not conducted due to regulatory and funding restrictions related to the local salmon population. When the Earthworks was constructed, the visual delineation between what was “natural” and what was built was distinct, due in large part to the minimal plant palette of the lawn and the poplar trees. The simple plantings contrasted strongly with the richly textured foliage and forms of the adjacent wild forest. Insufficient maintenance has the potential to significantly alter the site and return portions of it back to a “natural” state which would quickly diminish its integrity.

 

 

 

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