The latest round of proposed funding from the state Department of Ecology, announced Wednesday, could see $11.4 million in grants awarded to Clark County, the Port of Vancouver, the Watershed Alliance of Southwest Washington, Clark Public Utilities and the cities of Vancouver and Washougal if approved by the Legislature. At the end of each year, Ecology reviews and ranks applications for funding to be included in the next budget cycle. Out of the 155 applications it received, Ecology has proposed awards to 102 recipients for a total of $175.5 million. The grants will go to high-priority clean water projects across the state. “I am excited to announce that all four of our applications were recommended for funding in the draft offer list,” Devan Rostorfer, manager of Clark County Public Works’ clean water division, said Wednesday. If the Legislature approves the funding as submitted, Clark County would receive $356,989 for maintenance and upgrades to its 600 bioretention facilities.

Rostorfer said the grant would “help ensure the facilities are functioning as they were intended to by removing pollutants in stormwater runoff to protect and restore water quality in our local rivers, streams, and lakes.” The other county projects slated for funding include water quality retrofits at facilities along Northeast Highway 99 and Cougar Creek. The total amount of funding proposed for the county is $1.8 million. It’s not just the Legislature that could put the county’s funding at risk, however. Rostorfer said changes in federal funding proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration could alter or eliminate state funding. Additionally, the county is out of compliance with the state Growth Management Act over its approval of surface mining zoning.

“Stormwater facility projects are not eligible for funding if the county is out of compliance with the GMA,” Rostorfer said. The Watershed Alliance was selected to receive $224,892 to increase shade cover, control invasive plant species and plant a forested buffer along Curtin Creek. “I am proud to say we ranked No. 18 out of all the applications in the state and No. 2 for the specific grant we are eligible for,” said Sunrise O’Mahoney, executive director for the alliance. In past years, the grants were typically funded but that could be different this year because of the proposed freeze on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spending, O’Mahoney said.

The Port of Vancouver would receive the largest share of the grant funds going to Clark County — $7.8 million for a retrofit project to improve stormwater quality by installing a pretreatment system and a polishing system. Clark Public Utilities’ wetlands habitat restoration project along the East Fork Lewis River is slated to receive $273,270. Vancouver was selected to receive $500,000 to assist with connecting residential customers to its public sewer system in the Burnt Bridge Creek area, $256,956 to develop stormwater retrofit designs for Fort Vancouver High School and $344,956 for stormwater retrofit designs for Hudson’s Bay High School. Washougal is expected to be awarded $149,898 for the city’s enhanced maintenance plan. A final decision by the Legislature is expected before the end of the current session April 27.

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