Moxlie Creek (Stream)

Moxlie Creek runs through Olympia, in Thurston County, Washington, and begins at artesian springs in Watershed Park [1]. From there it flows north into the East Bay of Budd Inlet [1]. The creek takes its name from R. W. Moxlie, a settler from the early days [1]. Park groundwater served as the city's drinking water for more than fifty years, and remains of the old waterworks can still be found in the area [1]. Better than a third of the creek's 1.8 miles is piped underground, between the headwaters and the bay [1]. Its watershed covers 1,472 acres, stretching southeast as far as Boulevard and Log Cabin Roads, west into sections of the South Capitol Neighborhood, and east up to the crest of the 4th Avenue hill [1]. Tests of the water have turned up fecal coliform bacteria along with other contaminants [1]. Chinook salmon, coho and cutthroat trout appear at times in the stretch within the park, and the salmon are often seen in September and October [1].