Deer Creek runs through Puyallup, in Pierce County, with headwaters in unincorporated Pierce County, near 106th Street E, running 3.5 miles north to the Puyallup River in the City. This proposed restoration for Deer Creek includes the restoration of a 1,500-foot section of the stream beginning just south of 12th Ave SE and west of Shaw Road in Puyallup, running northwest to the corner of 25th Street SE and 12th Ave SE. Much of this stream is currently ditch-and-culvert oriented, and frequently overflows its constraints flooding adjacent areas due to inundation from stormwater runoff and lack of capacity during storm events.

A portion of this project area is located on City-owned property (east of 27th Street SE). The west portion of this project area is located on private property where the property owner has expressed interest in subdividing the portion of the parcel that would contain the restored stream section. The stream restoration is part of a larger project that includes design and construction of a wet-season stormwater facility that will function as soccer fields during the dry season. The stormwater facility portion of the project will serve to provide flood storage, allowing the creek to flood during storm events, and reducing localized downstream flooding while also creating a seasonal recreation facility for our community. The City-owned parcel located immediately southeast of 12th Ave SE and 27th Street SE is where the facility would be located. This designed feature would allow the restoration project and site to serve as an outreach and education opportunity on the importance of riparian areas through the use of signage at the final project site as well as community riparian planting events throughout the active restoration phase.