The City of Mountlake Terrace recently completed a water quality project to revitalize Taylor Pond, a regional stormwater detention pond originally constructed in 1979 and updated in 1988.
Taylor Pond is located at the intersection of 216th Street SW and 66th Avenue W on the northeast corner, just upstream of Hall Creek, a key tributary to Lake Ballinger. Before this summer, the pond’s surface was barely visible beneath a tangle of shoulder-high blackberry vines, cattails and grasses.
Detention ponds protect creeks and lakes by allowing suspended pollutants to settle and by storing water during storms. Over the years, Taylor Pond had filled with sediment and no longer was able to remove pollutants washed away from streets and parking lots.
The pond is on private property, but the city has an easement for maintenance. The City Council identified cleaning Taylor Pond as a priority in 2018, but work began this year when funding became available.
Recently, crews removed 1,220 cubic yards of sediment from the pond, improved the design for easier maintenance, and added native wetland plants.
To learn more about this project and water quality protection in Mountlake Terrace, visit www.cityofmlt.com/362 or contact Laura Reed, Stormwater Program Manager, at lreed@mltwa.gov, 425-744-6226.
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