Magnuson Park Wetlands and Athletic Fields

Seattle, WA

Magnuson Park Wetlands and Athletic Fields

“Leaky berms,” log weirs, “willow wattle, “sponges,” and other nature-based engineering solutions provided hydraulic control features necessary to transform more than two-dozen acres of park scrub into four wetland habitats holding 5.25 million gallons of water and five new athletic fields spread throughout 11 acres. MKA’s civil site design employed 63 small ponds similar to rice paddies to facilitate newly daylighted and cleaned stormwater movement along 3,000 ft of extremely flat wetlands holding 5.25 million gallons of water and into a nearby lake.  In addition, MKA developed a cutting-edge hydrologic model to provide biologists and landscape architects with information to optimize the wetlands environment and support desired flora and fauna.