Help shape a plan for Lower Salmon Creek to improve the way stormwater runoff is managed and protect stream health. Learn more about the project, get involved and share your solutions below.
| Salmon Creek Solutions |
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| Survey |
| Open House |
| Background |
| Project goals |
Salmon Creek Solutions Area
Background
Salmon Creek plays an important role in our community offering recreation opportunities, supporting salmon and other aquatic species, and providing wildlife habitat. At 89 square miles, the Salmon Creek is the largest watershed entirely in the Clark County. From the headwaters of Elkhorn Mountain, Salmon Creek flow westward for 26 miles, receiving water from numerous tributaries including Curtin, Mill, Lalonde and Cougar Creeks. Like most creeks, water quality and stream health decline in the urban part of the watershed known as Lower Salmon Creek.
Clark County Clean Water is continuing efforts to improve Lower Salmon Creek by developing a Stormwater Management Action Plan (SMAP). Under the Clean Water Act of 1972, the county must develop an SMAP as part of its Phase I Municipal Stormwater Permit. The goal of the Lower Salmon Creek SMAP is to address stormwater runoff issues and enhance water-quality treatment while taking future population growth into consideration.
Survey
We want to hear from YOU! Take this short survey to share your solutions for your creek.
Open House - Oct. 8th
Thank you for joining us for the Oct. 8th open house. A recording of the meeting will be posted within 10 business days.
Goal 1: Identify locations in Upper Curtin Creek and urbanized Mill Creek for stormwater treatment infrastructure
Clark County has an ongoing stormwater capital planning program for most of Lower Salmon Creek. The capital plan identifies locations where stormwater infrastructure like rain gardens and underground filter can be added to improve how stormwater runoff is managed and benefit stream health. This effort will identify locations in Upper Curtin Creek and urbanized Mill Creek where infrastructure plans have not been created and propose solutions to include in future stormwater capital plans.
Tasks to achieve this goal include:
- Study stream health, land conditions and existing stormwater infrastructure in Upper Curtain Creek and the urban area of Mill Creek.
- Analyze and map locations with suitable infiltration (ability to absorb water) and other characteristics for stormwater infrastructure.
- Create a list of stormwater, water-quality and stream habitat problem areas in Upper Curtin Creek and urbanized Mill Creek.
- Develop a prioritized list of locations and stormwater infrastructure solutions could be added in Upper Curtin Creek and urbanized Mill Creek.
- Use runoff modeling tools to understand how much water flows through the areas to appropriately size infrastructure proposals.
- Create up to four infrastructure plan proposals that can be included in the stormwater capital plan for Lower Salmon Creek.
Goal 2: Enhance Clark County's stormwater management activities and strategy
How land is managed and standards new developments must meet to manage stormwater have a significant impact on the streams receiving runoff from those areas. Similarly, things businesses and individuals do in their daily activities can cause or prevent water pollution. Clark County will evaluate how land management, development, outreach and pollution prevention strategies impact Lower Salmon Creek.
Tasks to achieve this goal include:
- Evaluate land management and development strategies to identify ways standards could further protect stream health and fish habitat.
- Support businesses to improve pollution prevention practices in Lower Salmon Creek.
- Identify areas where pollutants may be entering waterways to prioritize technical assistance and regulatory visits.
- Develop a plan for monitoring and measuring progress resulting from the efforts above.
Goal 3: Develop a framework to improve how Clark County manages stormwater infrastructure
This purpose of this goal is to improve the way Clark County maintains and replaces this critical stormwater infrastructure. Clark County has more than 500 miles of underground stormwater pipe, 13,000 storm drains, and thousands of stormwater treatment facilities (ex: rain gardens, drywells, swales, ponds etc.). Upgrading the county's street sweeping plan is also included in this goal because sweeping serves a similar function of reducing sediment pollution.
Tasks to achieve this goal include:
- Develop a street sweeping plan focused on heavily used roads in Lower Salmon Creek.
- Create a stormwater pipe inspection, maintenance, and repair program to maintain and fix aging pipes.
- Identify ways to enhance maintenance of county-owned stormwater infrastructure so it can last longer and more effectively reduce pollutants and sediment.
Goal 4: Lower Salmon Creek Stormwater Management Action Plan
The three goals listed above will be incorporated into a Lower Salmon Creek Stormwater Management Action Plan that will guide how Clark County protects and improves stream health. The plan will consist of a six-year and 20-year plan that receives input and feedback from the community.
Tasks to achieve this goal include:
- Complete the tasks necessary to meet goals 1-3.
- Involve the community, including overburdened communities in the development of the plan.