Campen Creek flows through Washougal, Washington, before it enters Gibbons Creek, which flows through Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge before its confluence with the Columbia River. From 2019-2022, the refuge went through a $32 million renewal, reconnecting Gibbons Creek to its floodplain and to the Columbia River, led by the Estuary Partnership and US Fish and Wildlife Service, along with many other partners.
After the success of the reconnection project, the Estuary Partnership looked upstream at how to continue to improve the valuable habitat within Steigerwald.
Campen Creek is a highly urban stream, and polluted runoff currently harms water quality within the creek, continuing downstream into Steigerwald. The Washougal High School parking lot (pictured at right) is the largest area of impervious surface in the Campen Creek watershed, and most of the polluted runoff from this lot and neighboring streets drains directly untreated into Campen Creek in nearby Orchards Hills Golf Club.
In partnership with the City of Washougal, Washougal High School, and the Washougal School District, the Estuary Partnership is planning a stormwater retrofit project that will treat runoff from approximately 9 acres of parking lots and roads around the high school.
The project will develop stormwater retrofits for the Washougal High School parking lot, portions of J Street, 36th Street, and I Street.
Washougal High School students will be engaged in the project’s design process, connecting students and their parents to the project and teaching them about the connections between land use and water quality.
This project will complement the Campen Creek Reconnection Project at downstream Mable Kerr Park. This project will reconnect the creek to its floodplain and restore wetlands to improve the creek’s habitat.
Improving water quality throughout the Campen and Gibbons Creek watersheds will be particularly impactful for coho salmon and lamprey. Coho are the primary salmonids in the Gibbons Creek watershed and are especially susceptible to toxics in runoff including 6PPDQ. Lamprey were found extensively during the Steigerwald Connection Project and are an important First Food.
Project partners and funders include:
- Washington Department of Ecology
- EPA Columbia River Basin Restoration Program
- City of Washougal
- Washougal High School
- Washougal School District
