The fish in George Davis Creek are about to swim a little more easily. The City has recently circulated an update on the George Davis Creek Fish Passage Project, according to a statement obtained by the City of Sammamish, announcing that design is underway with sights set on construction during the balmy days of summer 2026. The venture aims to revitalize salmon habitats in the lower stretch of the creek, a boon for the finned locals looking for a better upstream commute.
Environmental buffs will be thrilled with the plans to remove a few uncooperative culvert pipes that have been thwarting fish movements. In their place, the city will erect a new 17-foot span box culvert, ensuring swimmers don't find themselves at a dead end where the creek passes beneath East Lake Sammamish Parkway near Northeast 7th Court. In partnership with King County, the project also calls for the replacement of culverts under the East Lake Sammamish Trail. However, whoever is keeping score should note the added benefit beyond the aquatic: a reduction in flooding and sediment troubles that currently beleaguer the city.
You don't pull off a fish-friendly overhaul without a pot of cash. The City has secured grants from sources such as the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board and the Department of Commerce Direct Appropriation grant, along with money from the King County Flood Reduction grant to scale the financial side of the project. The collaborative effort features input from both King County and Tribal partners, ensuring the architectural blueprints are up to snuff in terms of enhancing fish habitat and managing floods.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the improvements can't come soon enough. The current bypass, a creation of King County from the not-so-swinging year of 1996, helps keep inundation of local areas and the East Lake Sammamish trail at bay, but comes tethered with the annual nuisance of sediment removal for the City at the outfall of Lake Sammamish. With the end goal to save salmon from swimming upstream without a paddle, George Davis Creek is set to be a sterling example of infrastructure and environmental synergy.
