June 14

City warns of contamination in Thornton Creek

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3  comments

Great Blue Heron  (the official City of Seattle bird) fishing this week at Thornton Creek’s Beaver Pond Natural Area.

Thornton Creek, which flows through north Maple Leaf on its way to Lake Washington and includes the home of our very own beavers, has dangerous levels of human fecal bacteria, Seattle Public Utilities has announced.

A two-year investigation by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has confirmed human fecal bacteria are likely entering North Seattle’s Thornton Creek at multiple locations.

Funded by the Washington Department of Ecology and led by SPU stormwater scientist Jonathan Frodge, the study was based on samples collected at 45 sites throughout the watershed, under a variety of conditions

It has been known for years that fecal coliform bacteria concentrations in Thornton Creek exceed the state water quality standard and pose a potential threat to public health. The new study confirms human bacteria are present and contribute to the water quality problem. The study is also the first to identify sub-basins (general areas) where bacteria appear to be entering the stream.

Our news partner The Seattle Times has a lengthy story here, including a plea for help determining where sewage is entering the creek.

Frodge says the public is being asked to help out with the smell test.

“If you’re out there walking, your nose is as trained as anyone’s,” he says.

Sewer smell is sewer smell.

Frodge says people can email him at jonathan.frodge@seattle.gov.


About the author 

Sara W

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  1. Jonathan Frodge will be speaking at the upcoming Thornton Creek Alliance (TCA) meeting, Thursday June 27 at the Meadowbrook Community Center, 7:15 to 9:00. Come hear the “unsanitized” version of his report, straight from the author and find out were we go next to clean-up our watershed!

  2. The story apparently has been edited on the Seattle Times site and much of the quoted information in this blog post, including the part about the problem being know about for years, is now gone. Essentially, the story has been “sanitized” and controversy-proofed.

    Let that be an object lesson for you all about how things REALLY work in this city.

  3. O.K. This story says that the high levels/contamination has been known for years! So why has nothing been done…or is it truly that difficult to figure out where the contamination is coming from? For years it has been known??? Very odd that there would be no way to figure this out. Gee, my kids used to play down by the creek.

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