Kelsey Creek
Encyclopedia
Kelsey Creek is a creek
in Bellevue, Washington
on Seattle's Eastside
. Originating in the wetlands in the Lake Hills Greenbelt between Phantom
and Larsen Lakes, it flows through Kelsey Creek Park and becomes the Mercer Slough just west of Interstate 405
. The centerpiece of the largest wetland adjacent to Lake Washington (367 acres), the slough
empties into the East Channel of Lake Washington
at Interstate 90.
The Kelsey Creek drainage basin is about 10,870 acres, including about 75% of the city of Bellevue in addition to a portion of Redmond
. Tributaries include Valley Creek, Goff Creek, the West Tributary, Sturtevant Creek, Richards Creek, East Creek, and Sunset Creek. Kelsey Creek flows into the head of the Mercer Slough through a large concrete culvert which has been built to allow salmon to ascend easily via a few short drops of the creek.
Historically, Kelsey Creek originated from Phantom Creek and Phantom Lake, but farmer Henry Thode redirected the Phantom Lake outlet to Lake Sammamish
in the late 1880s, resulting in a reduced water flow. For centuries, the Mercer Slough wetlands had been a swamp, marsh, and shallow water area, with the Mercer Slough itself being a shallow inlet of Lake Washington. Following the completion of the Lake Washington Ship Canal
and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
in 1917, the water level of Lake Washington was lowered 8.8 feet (2.7 m) exposing the lake bed along the course of the present-day slough. The Mercer Slough was partially dredged in the 1920s to make it navigable to small watercraft. Today, canoes can be rented to explore the waterway.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
in Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
on Seattle's Eastside
Eastside (King County, Washington)
File:Seattle-lakewashington-lakesammamish.PNG|250px|right|The Eastside is to the right of Seattle.# rough city boundariespoly 137 256 148 256 158 194 172 179 172 237 212 266 133 266Renton...
. Originating in the wetlands in the Lake Hills Greenbelt between Phantom
Phantom Lake
Phantom Lake is a small lake inside the city limits of Bellevue, Washington. A 2.6 mile long pedestrian trail circles the lake, and according to Bellevue city government, the city's oldest and largest trees can be seen there....
and Larsen Lakes, it flows through Kelsey Creek Park and becomes the Mercer Slough just west of Interstate 405
Interstate 405 (Washington)
Interstate 405 in Washington is a stretch of freeway that bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington. The northern terminus is in Lynnwood and the southern terminus is in Tukwila...
. The centerpiece of the largest wetland adjacent to Lake Washington (367 acres), the slough
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
empties into the East Channel of Lake Washington
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
at Interstate 90.
The Kelsey Creek drainage basin is about 10,870 acres, including about 75% of the city of Bellevue in addition to a portion of Redmond
Redmond, Washington
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
. Tributaries include Valley Creek, Goff Creek, the West Tributary, Sturtevant Creek, Richards Creek, East Creek, and Sunset Creek. Kelsey Creek flows into the head of the Mercer Slough through a large concrete culvert which has been built to allow salmon to ascend easily via a few short drops of the creek.
Historically, Kelsey Creek originated from Phantom Creek and Phantom Lake, but farmer Henry Thode redirected the Phantom Lake outlet to Lake Sammamish
Lake Sammamish
Lake Sammamish is a freshwater lake east of Seattle in King County, Washington, United States. The lake is long and wide, with a maximum depth of and a surface area of . It lies east of Lake Washington and west of the Sammamish Plateau, and stretches from Issaquah in the south to Redmond in...
in the late 1880s, resulting in a reduced water flow. For centuries, the Mercer Slough wetlands had been a swamp, marsh, and shallow water area, with the Mercer Slough itself being a shallow inlet of Lake Washington. Following the completion of the Lake Washington Ship Canal
Lake Washington Ship Canal
The Lake Washington Ship Canal, which runs through the City of Seattle, Washington, connects the fresh water body of Lake Washington with the salt water inland sea of Puget Sound. The Ship Canal includes a series of locks, modeled after the Panama Canal, to accommodate the different water levels...
and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks are a complex of locks that sit at the west end of Salmon Bay, part of Seattle's Lake Washington Ship Canal. They are known locally as the Ballard Locks after the neighborhood to their north...
in 1917, the water level of Lake Washington was lowered 8.8 feet (2.7 m) exposing the lake bed along the course of the present-day slough. The Mercer Slough was partially dredged in the 1920s to make it navigable to small watercraft. Today, canoes can be rented to explore the waterway.
External links
- http://vathena.arc.nasa.gov/curric/land/wetlands/lakehill/grnbltl.html