A formerly neglected stretch of a forgotten creek will get a heaping dose of tender loving care next summer.
Whipple Creek on the northern edge of Vancouver’s urban fringe will benefit from an $850,000 project to place 16 log jams in a five-acre area spanning its upper reach just east of Interstate 5. The area is located southeast of the Clark County fairgrounds.
Gov. Chris Gregoire announced the Whipple Creek project, along with three others across the state, on Thursday. The state received $66 million in federal economic stimulus funding, intended for projects that promote clean water.
The Whipple Creek project will include the installation of 16 large root wads, said Scott Fakler, the county’s project manager.
“It slows down the flow of water to stop this erosion,” Fakler said.
Soil erosion hurts salmon by burying spawning grounds, but it’s also a symptom of broader environmental woes.
Whipple Creek, which flows under I-5 before making its way toward the Columbia, was reshaped by the conversion of forest to farmland a century ago. In recent years, farmland has been converted to subdivisions. The incremental effect of new rooftops, concrete and asphalt prevents water from percolating gradually through the soil down to the creek. The effect creates a “flashy” creek that tends to flood in the winter and dry up in the summer.
The county acquired land around the upper end of the creek in 2006, with the idea of healing it from the headwaters down.
“It’s some of the best remaining habitat of Whipple Creek in the entire urban growth area,” said Ron Wierenga, manager of the county’s Clean Water Program. “The stream itself is somewhat degraded, but the thing that’s unique about it is it still has a functional flood plain right through that property.”
The county will hire contractors to install log jams that span the entire valley, slowing the creek’s flow and allowing water to spread into the wider floodplain.
“We’re going to be putting a lot of wood into this area,” Wierenga said. “It’ll be over 100 logs.”
About half of the project funding is a low-interest loan to be repaid over 20 years. Gregoire’s announcement characterized the other half as a “forgivable-interest loan, meaning it does not have to be paid back.”
The county’s Clean Water Program generates almost $5 million annually through a property assessment fee based on the amount of impervious surface. Single-family residences are generally assessed $33 per year, with larger commercial properties paying much more.
