Submitted by The City of Lacey
The recently constructed Woodland Creek Groundwater Recharge Facility, located in Lacey’s Woodland Creek Community Park, has received the 2014 Excellence in Engineering award by the American Water Works Association’s Pacific Northwest Section, in the medium project category. This state-of-the-art facility uses reclaimed water to recharge shallow aquifers feeding into Lacey’s Woodland Creek and helps stabilize and restore stream flows.
Woodland Creek, which connects Lacey’s four lakes to Henderson Inlet and Puget Sound, provides critical habitat for Chinook salmon, a federally-listed threatened species, as well as Coho, Chum, Winter Steelhead and Sockeye salmon. Nearly ninety percent of the stream’s corridor within Lacey and its future growth area has been permanently protected by the city, including a 500-acre tract featuring two miles of frontage along the creek and several of its tributaries.
The 6-acre project included construction of three underground reclaimed water infiltration galleries in the southwest corner of the 72-acre park. In addition, the site has met the high standards of criteria set forth by PNWS AWWA. The space has been restored for recreational use and matches its surrounding environment, which is also compatible with Lacey’s Parks Master Plan.
This project has been a collaborative effort between multiple partners, including LOTT Clean Water Alliance, the cities of Lacey and Olympia, the Recreation and Conservation Office, contractor Schock Construction, and design consultants Pacific Groundwater Group, HDR, and TSI.
