Vancouver, WA – Clark County Environmental Services is reestablishing its stream monitoring program at approximately 50 sites in the county’s 10 watersheds. The monitoring will allow the county to gauge the health of many local streams and rivers.

Monitoring will begin this year and focus on selected streams each year for five years. At the end of the five year monitoring period, Environmental Services will generate a report outlining the overall health of Clark County’s streams and rivers. Sites will be among these watersheds:

• North Fork of the Lewis River
• East Fork of the Lewis River
• Salmon Creek
• Lacamas Creek
• Washougal River
• Gibbons Creek
• Columbia Slope
• Burnt Bridge Creek
• Vancouver Lake/Lake River
• West Slope

“Information obtained in the stream health report is invaluable,” said Don Benton, Environmental Services director. “By restoring this program, we’ll be able to better understand the health of streams and rivers in Clark County and proactively address problems.”

County scientists had monitored the watersheds, but due to budgetary constraints based on stormwater permit obligations, the monitoring was discontinued in September 2013. At the time, the state Department of Ecology required more in depth and expensive monitoring in two specific watersheds.

Monitoring is one of the important ways to determine whether streams and rivers are healthy. Information collected is compared to past data and given a water quality score used to characterize stream health.

CONTACT
Don Benton
Director
Environmental Services
(360) 397-2121 ext. 5358
don.benton@clark.wa.gov