McAleer Creek Site A432

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King County Water Quality Monitoring

King County monitors the ecological health of McAleer Creek in a variety of ways including water quality, sediment, and benthic invertebrates. Station A432 is located at NE 170th and Bothell Way NE, just south of Lake Forest Park. Water quality samples have been collected monthly at this station near the mouth of McAleer Creek since 1976. Sediment quality samples have been collected from McAleer Creek as part of the Streams Monitoring Program starting in 1987. In addition, King County monitors stream health by collecting samples of benthic macroinvertebrates from selected streams. In 2002 and 2003 benthic invertebrates were sampled from McAleer Creek.

From time to time additional studies have been conducted on McAleer Creek. (Click here for information about Special Studies of McAleer Creek.)

McAleer Creek Watershed

McAleer Creek originates at Lake Ballinger and flows roughly six miles before draining into the northeast corner of Lake Washington just south of Lyon Creek. The drainage basin is approximately 5,700 acres in size and includes portions of Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline, and Lake Forest Park.

Land use in the basin is mostly developed for residential use. There is also a golf course, shopping center, and a section of Interstate-5 (I-5) within the basin. The upper subbasins in the general vicinity of the I-5 corridor are primarily residential and with some commercial areas. The upstream section of McAleer Creek passes through the heavily altered I-5 freeway corridor where it has very limited riparian vegetation (Kerwin, 2002, King County, 2002). The middle subbasin consists primarily of low-density residential land use with deep ravines and eroded soils. The lower basin flattens and fans into a floodplain across what is now the Lake Forest Park Mall and Bothell Way. Building density increases and consequently encroaches into the creek corridor.

Transport of suspended sediments has been significant in McAleer Creek. The incising of stream banks and soil erosion was one of the major reasons the 1993 McAleer Creek Project Plan was undertaken. The plan, produced for King County, Mountlake Terrace, and Lake Forest Park, recommended solutions to flooding problems in the drainage basin (KCM, 1983).

Fisheries

Salmonid habitat suitability of McAleer Creek was rated good in 1989 based on information collected by Metro staff in 1988 and 1989 (METRO. September 1990). Chinook, sockeye, kokanee, and coho salmon, and steelhead, rainbow, and coastal cutthroat trout have been observed in McAleer Creek (Kerwin, 2002). Since 1997 volunteers with the Salmon Watcher Program have been recording salmon observations in McAleer Creek. Volunteers have consistently seen chinook, coho, and sockeye in the creek. No kokanee salmon or cutthroat trout have been seen.

Water Quality

Water quality samples are analyzed monthly for temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, turbidity, total suspended solids, ortho-phosphorus, total phosphorus, ammonia, nitrate-nitrogen, total nitrogen, and fecal coliform bacteria. Results are compared to State water quality standards. Water quality standards are designed to protect public health and aquatic life. Comparing monitoring results to water quality standards allows an understanding of how safe the creek is for recreational contact as well as for aquatic life. (See link at top of page to view current water data.)

State water quality standards were revised in 2003. McAleer Creek is considered a Class AA water body under the 1997 rules. As the 2003 rules become effective McAleer Creek is categorized as “Core Summer Salmonid Habitat” for aquatic life use, and “Primary Contact” for recreational use. As part of the updated water quality standards, the creek has been assigned an additional “Supplemental Spawning and Incubation Protection” temperature criteria of 13 ºC to be applied from September 15th through May 15th. McAleer Creek is on the 2004 Washington Department of Ecology’s (Ecology) 303(d) list for violation of fecal coliform bacteria (FC) and dissolved oxygen standards. See Table 1 for a summary of water quality violations in the creek during the most recent water year.

Historically (1989) water quality in McAleer Creek was characterized as “good”, though nutrient concentrations were somewhat high (Metro 1990).

Long-term Trends

A 25-year (1979 – 2004) trend analysis was conducted with baseflow water quality from McAleer Creek. Results indicated that there has not been a significant change in temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, bacteria, nitrogen (all forms), or total phosphorus over this 25-year period. There was a significant increase in conductivity which can suggests the presence of unidentified dissolved charged substances in the water. (McAleer sediments have relatively high metals concentrations – see below.) Water in McAleer Creek is becoming more acidic as indicated by the significant decrease in pH. However, the pH remains within acceptable range relative to the state standards. Decreased total suspended solids (TSS) and decreased ortho-phosphorus concentrations indicate some improvements in water quality in the same 25-year period.

Water Quality Index

A Water Quality Index (WQI) rating system was developed by the State Department of Ecology that evaluates several water quality parameters and gives a single rating of “high,” “moderate,” or “low” water quality concern. During the last six water years McAleer Creek has rated “moderate” to “high” concern. High concern ratings were due primarily to high fecal coliform bacteria levels. To see how these ratings compare with other stream sites, visit the Water Quality Index page.

A review of the 2008 data shows the following violations of State water quality standards:

 

Hydrology

King County maintains four streamflow gauges on McAleer Creek: McAleer Creek at NE 196th ST Dam (35a), McAleer Creek below 15th AV NE (35b), McAleer ath the mouth (35c), and McAleer Bypass (35d).

Stream Sediment

Sediment samples were collected at four stations approximately a mile apart, along a four mile reach of McAleer Creek in the summer of 2004 (see Map). The sediment chemical concentrations of some compounds at the furthest upstream location (UU432) suggest they are likely to cause adverse effects in aquatic animals living in the sediments. At the next downstream station (VV432), levels of pyrene (a PAH) and nickel were at levels that suggest the potential for effects from these chemicals is uncertain. Concentrations of all detected chemicals at the remaining downstream sampling locations (WW432 and 0432) were below all sediment quality guidelines suggesting there is little potential for adverse effects from these chemicals.

At UU432, the furthest upstream location, several PAHs, which are combustion byproducts and can be found in vehicle exhaust, and bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, a chemical in certain plastics, were detected at concentrations that suggest they are likely to cause adverse effects to sediment-dwelling aquatic organisms. This site is located where the creek passes through a light industrial area parking lot. Elevated levels of lube oil were also found at this station. The detection of elevated levels of both lube oil and some PAHs in these sediments suggests that there may be an industrial or vehicular source of hydrocarbons to the creek at or near this location. p>

Benthic Invertebrates

The County also monitors stream health by collecting samples of benthic invertebrates from selected streams as part of King County's Benthic Invertebrate Program. Benthic invertebrates are an important link in the food chain for fish in the creek and are an excellent indicator of stream health. In both 2002 and 2003, benthic invertebrate samples were collected, analyzed, and benthic invertebrate index scores (BIBI) were calculated for McAleer Creek.

BIBI scores from both years indicate that conditions in McAleer Creek were poor for benthic invertebrates. Almost 55 percent of the species identified in the creek were tolerant of degraded condition. No species that are considered sensitive degraded conditions were present either year. Only one individual of a longer-lived species was present in 2002 and only two were present in 2003. Long-lived species tend to take longer to reproduce and along with sensitive species are among the first to disappear when a stream ecosystem is altered by human activity such as urbanization.

Special Studies

Blue Heron Extension Project

In 1999 Seattle Tilth undertook a project to restore an undeveloped parcel of land and upgrade the developed section of Blue Heron Park, located near the mouth of McAleer Creek in Lake Forest Park, into an environmentally-friendly demonstration garden. McAleer Creek, a salmon-bearing stream, runs through the park. Community groups removed invasive plant species and planted drought tolerant perennials, native plants, shrubs and trees. This project will preserve salmon habitat and contribute to clean water flow into Lake Washington. This project is partially funded by a King County Waterworks Grant.

Photo of Great Blue Heron on McAleer Creek taken by Phil McDonald.