A car in the ditch…. and then another and another.

Car in the ditch along NE 110th Street nearest to the corner of 31st Ave NE. Photo courtesy of the Thornton Creek Watershed Restoration Project.

Over the past three years, residents of the Meadowbrook neighborhood in Seattle often noticed cars in the ditch on the north side of NE 110th Street nearest to the corner of 31st Ave NE.

With school athletic fields on both sides of NE 110th, it was apparent that cars were parking along there when spectators came to watch football or soccer games at the schools.

Since they first began keeping a tally in 2021, neighbors have counted seventeen cars in the ditch.

In 2021 a volunteer group formed to do something about this, based upon environmental concerns.  It’s not just a ditch along NE 110th Street — the water flowing there is actually part of a creek system.  Steps needed to be taken to prevent illegal parking, restore the landscaping and restore the ability of the soil to filter contaminants out of the water entering the creek, such as rain and roadway runoff.

Another day, another tow truck on NE 110th Street.

The Thornton Creek Watershed Restoration Project was formed to restore the health of the creeklet along NE 110th Street.  By restoring the landscaping, the soil would be able to filter out contaminants coming from the roadway.  A King County Waterworks Grant provided funding, and Seattle Department of Transportation put in no-parking signs and curb stops on August 29, 2024.

New curb stops along NE 110th Street to protect the creeklet and prevent cars from falling in.

Although the new curb stops are low and could conceivably be driven over, other measures such as no-parking signs and the restoration of the landscaping will tend to discourage parking along the creeklet.

This roadside creeklet could also be called a bioswale because it includes plants which stabilize the soil, absorb runoff water and filter pollutants.

On October 19, 2024, forty-four volunteers of all ages (including students) set and mulched 900 plants along the creeklet on NE 110th Street.

Volunteer Day, October 19, 2024, on NE 110th Street at the Restoration Project.

Sponsors of the Restoration Project are Thornton Creek Alliance, which is a consortium of concerned neighbors, and Dirt Corps, an environmental company that provides training and education to people interested in environmental careers.

Where there is live water in the channel, further restoration and revegetation work will be done by Dirt Corps.  They will need to wear waders, as the water in the creeklet is four feet deep in some places.

On October 19, 2024, volunteers of all ages did plantings along the north side of NE 110th Street. In the background is Jane Addams Middle School. Photo courtesy of Renee Barton.

Sources:

Thornton Creek Alliance, an all-volunteer group advocating for the watershed.

Dirt Corps, a team of landscaping professionals partnering with volunteers for environmental work.