Philbrook Farms Stormwater Facility

Clark County Public Works Clean Water division owns property at 5600 NE 129th St. in Vancouver. The property contains underground stormwater control structures and above-ground recreational facilities. Clark County maintains the stormwater facilities and the Philbrook Farms homeowners association maintains the recreational facilities. The stormwater facilities have not been performing as designed, causing over a foot of water to flood the basketball court and playground during periods of rain. Testing during the winters of 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 indicated that rapidly rising groundwater levels during rain events contribute to the flooding, resulting in closures to recreation facilities during the rainy season.

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About the project

Click here to view the project location.

This project will address the intermittent flooding of the playground and recreation area. The area is currently closed a portion of the year due to standing water and flooding.

We anticipate the solution may include both short and long-term actions, aimed at increasing park usage in the near term and providing permanent flooding relief in the longer term.

Public Works values public input and is committed to identifying solutions for the Philbrook Farms neighborhood.. County projects are designed by professional engineers and future solutions for Philbrook Farms will require additional time and technical expertise. To achieve the best solution, we must balance community input with other considerations such as as legal requirements, environmental impacts, budget and safety. Unfortunately, we are not able incorporate all input or requests. Please contact the project manager (information at the bottom of the page) with questions or comments.

Project history

Thank you for joining us for the virtual-only open house for the Philbrook Farms Stormwater Facility.

Recording: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3L7LFugqag

Presentation (PDF)

Clark County has determined the area will need to be fenced and closed from November 2023 to June 2024. Temporary fencing was installed the week of Nov. 13

Groundwater monitoring activities have concluded, but the county continues to monitor the system’s water levels and its overflow. Currently, county staff are evaluating the feasibility of short and long-term solutions. We will provide an update to residents in spring 2024 on next steps.

Project timeline

We anticipate completing a plan for short and long-term improvements as early as spring 2024. Depending on repair options, and construction schedules installation of short-term improvements could begin as early as fall 2024.

Budget

The estimated budget for interim improvements is $225,000, which is funded from the 2024-2029 Stormwater Capital Plan. This will include short-term access improvements. Long-term flooding solutions are likely to exceed current budget and will be addressed in future capital plans.

Open House

Philbrook HOA members are invited to join us for an online open house on May 20. Staff will discuss the short and long-term actions we have identified for addressing the occasional flooding of the recreation facilities.

Mailers have been sent to all Philbrook HOA members. If you are an HOA member and did not receive a mailer, please contact the project manager.