While much of the city’s shorelines are developed, there are still opportunities for improvement and for affecting the quality of Bothell’s waterways, said Lisa Grueter, representing ICF International.

ICF is the lead consultant helping local officials complete a required revamping of its shoreline master plan. That revamping is in the beginning stages, but the city already is hosting public comment sessions. Held Sept. 9, an afternoon event attracted a half-dozen or so people to Russell’s restaurant on Monte Villa Parkway.

Those interested came from Bothell and outside of the city.

Living near Maltby, Jim Rettig said a neighbor recently clearcut a couple of acres of land along Cutthroat Creek. Rettig believes that cutting will negatively affect the creek he also lives alongside of. A member of the local Audubon Society, Rettig said he hopes Bothell’s shoreline plan helps eliminate activities such as he just encountered.

Cindy Blankenbaker of Bothell said her concerns were similar. She said she lives along the city’s stretch of North Creek and is interested in the future of the waterway.

According to Grueter and others, North Creek creates one of three stretches of shoreline located within the city. The others run alongside the Sammamish River and Swamp Creek. Consultants already have rated the ecological value or functionality of those shorelines and suggested a few steps that might be taken to improve them.

Gary Johnston of the Watershed Company said the waterways and surrounding land were rated on four criteria: vegetation, hyporheic processes — or groundwater flow — habitat and hydrologic.

According to Johnston, the ecological functioning of North Creek rates from moderate to high moderate. Swamp Creek’s functionality is largely moderate, while the Sammamish earned a rating of low to moderate.

Johnston admitted the ratings aren’t always popular with the public, which might perceive those ratings as undercutting the importance of a given waterway. Essentially, Johnston added that the ratings have to be kept in context, that the waterways in question are urban streams. He also said it’s not necessarily a bad thing for there to be room for improvement.

Generally, improvements might include enhancement of vegetation surrounding shorelines, reductions or modification of shoreline hardening through removal of concrete barriers or similar materials and the improvement of fish habitats.

Included in the long, initial shoreline report, some specific preliminary improvements might mean looking at the water quality in Swamp Creek; restoration and enhancement of Horse Creek; and, North Creek enhancements near the private Clearwater School.

Clearwater sits in unincorporated Snohomish County between Bothell’s current boundaries and Mill Creek. Bothell Senior Planner Bruce Blackburn said the overall shoreline plan will include Bothell’s potential annexation areas.

He also noted the city is partnering on the project with Brier, taking advantage of the two cities’ sharing of Swamp Creek, pooling their resources and ultimately, Blackburn hopes, coming up with a more advanced finished product.

State legislation requires every Washington city to update its master shoreline plan if it has qualifying waterways within its boundaries. Ultimately, the plan must be approved by the state Department of Ecology, which officials noted also is offering guidance as the Bothell process moves forward. While many cities, such as Kenmore, are nearing the end of the shoreline process, in April, Blackburn said the department of ecology advised Bothell officials to follow the planning timeline set by Snohomish County.

That timeline gives the city until roughly mid-2011 to finish the job.

Blackburn promised plenty of opportunities for public comment between now and adoption of the final plan. The initial plan is available on the city’s Web site (www.ci.bothell.wa.us) as is what’s been dubbed a “vision questionnaire.” Additionally, the last of three “visioning workshops” is planned for 6-8 p.m. Sept. 23 at Lockwood Elementary, 24118 Lockwood Road. Blackburn also said watershed comments are always welcome by phone (425-486-3256), letter (18305 101st Ave. N.E., Bothell, WA 98011) or e-mail (citystaff@ci.bothell.wa.us).