Watershed Overview
Size and boundaries
The Thornton Creek Watershed straddles northeast Seattle and southeast Shoreline, draining 11.6 square miles of urban land into Lake Washington at Matthews Beach Park. The largest watershed in both Shoreline and Seattle, Thornton Creek connects over 75,000 people in a common geography. Our choices as watershed residents impact the health of plants, animals, and each other.
Land use
Once a land of forests and wetlands, the Thornton Creek Watershed is now within the largest metropolitan area in Washington State. Over half of the watershed is covered in impervious surfaces ~ such as pavement and roofs ~ that do not allow rainwater to filter through the soil. There is 600 acres of commercial use and 300 acres in parks and greenspace. Thornton Creek is a living stream surrounded by an urban landscape.
Challenges of an urban watershed
Salmon, mayflies, frogs, beavers, and buffleheads all live in, on, or around Thornton Creek. Children swim near its mouth in Lake Washington. At the same time thousands of cars pass along roads within the watershed polluting the air and water, fertilizers and chemicals from homes and businesses seep into the creek, and animals of all sorts taint the water through their waste. Thornton Creek funnels in pollution from the whole watershed. Currently the major types of water pollution in Thornton Creek are fecal coliform, pesticides, heavy metals, and PCBs. The only way to clean up Thornton Creek and make it safe for all life is to clean up our lives as watershed residents.
Credits and disclaimers
The information in the Thornton Creek Watershed Virtual Tour was compiled by Homewaters Project. While this information has been thoroughly researched, no claims are made as to 100% accuracy. If any dicrepancies are noticed, please contact Homewaters Project at (206) 526-0187 or homewaters@sccd.ctc.edu. The Virtual Tour is in draft form.
