Lake Management

Vancouver Lake shoreline

Vancouver Lake and Lacamas Lake benefit the local community, economy, and environment by providing access to recreational amenities and habitat for important fish and wildlife. 

In recent years, both lakes have experienced challenges with harmful algal blooms (HABs). This led to coordination between multiple lake stakeholders to implement lake management activities. 

The long-term management of Vancouver and Lacamas lakes requires ongoing collaboration among several jurisdictions and stakeholders. This includes, but is not limited to, Clark County, the cities of Vancouver and Camas, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Vancouver Lake

Vancouver Lake is located in Clark County adjacent to the Columbia River, with shoreline areas managed by Clark County, WDFW, the Columbia Land Trust, the Port of Vancouver, and the City of Vancouver. The lake covers approximately 2,300 acres, or 3.6 square miles, offering significant recreational opportunities, including national rowing events that attract large numbers of tourists annually. Vancouver Lake also provides considerable access to waterfowl habitat, making it a popular destination for bird-watching enthusiasts. 

Significant lake management planning has been completed after many years, aimed at managing algae blooms and invasive species in Vancouver Lake. Most recently, Clark County led the completion of the Phase 1 Vancouver Lake Management Plan, completed in 2023. Phase 2 of the effort concluded in 2025.

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In 2021, a state operating budget appropriation was awarded to Clark County for the purpose of establishing a long-term plan to restore and maintain the health of Vancouver Lake. Additionally, the effort sought to design an institutional structure to implement lake management activities into the future. 

The Vancouver Lake Management Plan, Phase 1, was completed in August of 2023, outlining immediate action to manage harmful algal blooms (HABs) and aquatic noxious weeds. It included recommendations for future development of management actions to address other lake issues. 

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In 2023, a second legislative budget proviso was awarded to Clark County to begin Phase 2 of the Vancouver Lake Management Plan focused on evaluating potential governance structures, while supporting implementation of short-term beach management activities, and evaluating longer-term restoration of Vancouver Lake flushing. 

This scope of work resulted in the following outcomes:

This work was done by Herrera Environmental Consultants in partnership with Jacobs, LimnoTech, OrgSupport, and AquaTechnex. The consultant team was selected through a competitive process in partnership with evaluators from Clark County Public Health, Public Works, Port of Vancouver, and Friends of Vancouver Lake. The project ended in June 2025. 

Lacamas Lake

The Lacamas watershed is on Washington state’s polluted-waters list for high bacteria levels, warm water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen levels, and pH pollution. This drives the need to implement water quality solutions. 

In 2024, the City of Camas and Clark County established an interlocal agreement outlining shared actions the city and county can achieve together to address water quality challenges in the Lacamas watershed and Lacamas Lake. 

Clark County has focused its efforts on the Lacamas watershed through implementation of various actions to identify and address sources of nonpoint source pollution. This includes ongoing support for water quality monitoring to measure stream health. Additionally, the Clark County Clean Water Commission hosted a successful Lacamas Lake Symposium in 2023.  

The City of Camas has focused its effort on developing a comprehensive lake management plan to address harmful algal blooms that trigger lake water contact advisories and closures. This includes implementation of treatments in 2024 and 2025. Learn more about ongoing lake management plan implementation by visiting the Engage Camas website. 

Vancouver Lake Technical Advisory Group

There were either no meetings scheduled for the selected year or meeting records for the selected year are only available via public records request.