Clark County Clean Water staff present 2026–2031 stormwater capital plan, highlight Heritage Farm restoration and new low‑interest loan

Clark County Planning Commission work session attendees heard an overview of the Clean Water Division’s 2026–2031 Stormwater Capital Plan on Aug. 7, where staff described program priorities, permitting drivers and funding sources that will pay for retrofits, major repairs and reforestation.

Devin Rostopher, presenting on behalf of Jeff Schnabel, said the division’s capital work focuses on retrofitting older impervious areas, repairing failing stormwater facilities and restoring natural areas rather than supporting new private development. “Our stormwater capital program … is not focused on constructing stormwater facilities to support new development,” Rostopher said.

Why it matters: The stormwater capital plan implements federal and state permit obligations that protect streams, lakes and groundwater, and the program’s projects—detention‑pond cleanouts, water‑quality retrofits, reforestation and wetland restoration—can affect water quality in Salmon Creek, the Lower Salmon Creek watershed and other receiving waters that local residents use and care about.

Key projects and regulatory drivers: Rostopher noted the county operates under a Phase 1 municipal stormwater permit (as administered through state Department of Ecology requirements) and that the permit’s Stormwater Management for Existing Development rules drive the capital plan and annual submittals to Ecology. For 2025 the division had eight projects in construction, including the Heritage Farm wetland restoration (a county‑owned Parks property that broke ground that summer), multiple water‑quality retrofits near Northeast and Northwest 90th corridors, a reforestation project on the East Fork/Lower Salmon Creek tributaries and eight projects in design. Rostopher said Ecology requires major repairs over $25,000 identified in inspections to be addressed within the six‑year capital plan.

Funding: Rostopher summarized funding sources: the Clean Water (enterprise) fund (rate revenue), REET 2 (real estate excise tax, used beginning in 2025), state grants (Ecology programs), occasional state appropriations and the new state revolving loan fund loan. He said the division’s 2025 capital budget totaled about $5.5 million and that the Heritage Farm restoration will use a $3.4 million, 20‑year loan at 0.4% interest from the state revolving loan fund to spread costs and reduce short‑term rate impacts.

Commissioner questions and staff responses: Commissioners asked how many acres $900,000 for reforestation would plant; Rostopher said he did not have an acreage number at the meeting but offered to provide the total acreage for the three reforestation projects before leaving. Commissioners asked about using wetland restoration for mitigation banking; Rostopher said Heritage Farm was not designed as a wetland mitigation bank and that bank certification requires different design and administrative steps; he said staff has identified mitigation banking as a possible future avenue. On water quality and nutrients, Rostopher said the division is switching to cartridge filters that include phosphorus‑targeting media and plans to update stormwater code language to strengthen phosphorus removal requirements for Vancouver Lake drainages; the division is also hiring a lakes and watershed coordinator to focus on nutrient issues.

Next steps and outreach: Rostopher said the stormwater capital plan follows the same timeline as the transportation and parks capital plans and will go to the planning commission hearing (Aug. 21), the clean water advisory commission for review, then to council for adoption by resolution. He asked commissioners for input ahead of the hearing and offered to follow up on outstanding questions at or before the Aug. 21 hearing.

Ending note: Rostopher said staff will return for the Aug. 21 hearing and follow up with requested clarifications such as acreage estimates for reforestation projects and whether Heritage Farm was evaluated for mitigation banking.