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Have an opinion on the Purdy Creek habitat project? County wants your feedback

Staff reports
Matt Castellani, a sophomore at Peninsula High School (in creek) and other students from the marine science class, use a tape measure, a ping pong ball and a stopwatch to measure the velocity of the Goodnough stream behind Purdy Elementary School while fourth graders from that school look on.
Matt Castellani, a sophomore at Peninsula High School (in creek) and other students from the marine science class, use a tape measure, a ping pong ball and a stopwatch to measure the velocity of the Goodnough stream behind Purdy Elementary School while fourth graders from that school look on. TERI HARRIS Staff file

Pierce County staff and representatives are looking for ways to improve Purdy Creek for native fish by improving passage, water quality and fish habitat. To do this, they need comments from local residents, according to a county press release.

Pierce County residents that live near Purdy Lane Northwest and 144th Street Northwest are invited to a meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 25) at Peninsula High School library about the proposed project. The library is located at 14105 Purdy Dr. NW in Gig Harbor.

Purdy Creek currently flows through pipes and a box culvert under a local gas station. The size of the pipes makes it difficult for fish to move upstream for spawning. There are also concerns about stormwater runoff polluting the creek, the press release stated.

Pierce County staff is seeking community feedback on several concepts:

  • Purchase the Purdy Chevron Gas Station at 14317 Purdy Lane NW, if the owner is agreeable. The county would remove the building and parking lot, install a larger culvert or bridge at 144th Street Northwest, and create an estuary on the gas station site.
  • Purchase up to three properties just to the east of Purdy Lane Northwest and move the creek to the east of its current location. The county would also install a larger culvert or bridge at 144th Street Northwest and Purdy Lane Northwest.
  • Install a long and wide box culvert below the existing Purdy Lane Northwest.

The county will use the information from the community as it seeks future funding, the press release stated. This project has been in the planning stage for several years as the county seeks funding to move to the next stages of the project. A project website is available at piercecountywa.org/purdycreek.

This story was originally published January 24, 2018 at 1:12 PM with the headline "Have an opinion on the Purdy Creek habitat project? County wants your feedback."

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