SEATAC, Wash. -- It's no secret that salmon runs in the region are at an all-time low.

Things had been no different for a local creek where the the endangered species hadn't been seen for years until recently.

Port of Seattle bought a chunk of land near Sea-Tac Airport years ago as a part of its plan to build a third runway. Many conservationists feared construction would damage the wetlands and the creek. But port officials say their efforts to restore the area has paid off.

Nearly 60 years have passed since salmon have been spotted at Miller Creek near the airport, but now coho salmon are returning to spawn. Floodwaters from the recent storm helped give them a boost upstream.

Josh Feigin, an environmental specialist with the port, was monitoring Miller Creek following last week's storm when he spotted six adult coho working their way upstream.

"I came out to the creek to look at a hydrology well right next to it and heard the ruffling sounds in the riffles. And I thought, 'no way this can be,'" he said. "It was very exciting to see fish come back and use the habitat."

The salmon are spawning some 200 yards away from Sea-Tac's new runway. The port brought in enough dirt to fill trucks in a line from Seattle to Miami and back for that project. Environmental groups worried all the dredging would disturb the environment, but Feigin says not as far as he can tell.

"If we just left it alone, the high waters would scour the bank and add all sorts of sediment into the creek," he said.

There have been just six salmon spotted so far, but any number is encouraging especially for a creek once littered with old tires and concrete chunks.

Crews chained in tree trunks to stabilize the banks and create spawning pools, and planted more than 150,000 native plants.

"I hope they can find some areas that they can successfully spawn and do a natural run of Coho back into the area. The ultimate goal is to create a nice habitat," Feigin said.

It's not known whether the salmon are remnants of a past natural run or strays from another creek. Once the salmon die off after spawning, researchers hope to find their carcass to get a better idea of where the fish are coming from. If they're clipped, there's a good chance the fish are coming from a hatchery.