Clark County Clean Water Commission presents overview to council
May 18-Clark County's Clean Water Division is making strides in protecting the county's water resources, according to Clean Water Commission Chair Emily Hess and Vice Chair John Chatel. During a county council work session Wednesday, Hess and Chatel reviewed work completed by the commission and Clean Water Division in 2025, efforts currently underway in 2026 and priorities for the rest of the year.
The nine-member, all-volunteer board provides guidance to the county council on program opportunities and priorities for the Clean Water Division. It also works with residents, businesses, nonprofits and local government to enhance water quality, improve flow and protect the ecological integrity of the county's watersheds.
One of the most notable accomplishments in 2025, Hess and Chatel said, was the implementation and tracking of the 2025-29 rate study adopted by the county council in 2024.
Under its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase I Municipal Stormwater Permit, which went into effect in August 2024, the county must complete a range of projects that protect and restore water quality. To comply with updated state and federal permit requirements, the Clean Water Division had to update the services it will provide through 2029.
To fund these new services, the county conducted a stormwater rate study in 2024 to determine if its current rates were sufficient. In late 2024, the county council approved increasing stormwater rates, the first time rates have increased since 2015.
Chatel said Clean Water staff collected over 1.3 million hydrographic data points from seven stream flows and six precipitation gauges and assessed another 19 streams each month to monitor upstream water quality. Staff inspected around 13,000 catch basins - cleaning approximately 4,000 to 5,000 basins and replacing 800 stormwater filters - and also conducted 1,900 stormwater facility inspections and 260 business inspections last year.
"In total, the Clean Water Division funds about $5 million in a year of stormwater inspections and maintenance work on our stormwater operation efforts," Chatel said.
This is critical, first-line-of-defense work for protecting water resources, he added.
Addressing water-quality issues at Vancouver Lake was another area of focus for the division in 2025, one that continues in 2026 and likely into future years as well. Chatel said the county was fortunate to receive two rounds of funding from the state, which were used to treat some 400 acres of milfoil at the lake.
"I think we have made great strides in the last couple of years on this issue," county Councilor Glen Yung said during the meeting. "I think Vancouver Lake has got the momentum to get there finally."
Council Chair Sue Marshall cautioned that the cost of ongoing work needed to keep Vancouver Lake clean and open to the public likely will exceed the funds available from the county and that at some point, the county will have to prioritize its efforts.
How the county will meet demand for water and sewer service in the future, especially in areas where housing density is increasing, should be a priority in 2026, several county councilors said.
"I think we are really very challenged now as we're developing more densely and there's infill. We've got an aging system as well," Marshall said, adding that the "bread-and-butter work that you do related to stormwater management is still critically important."
Councilor Matt Little asked for further information on testing for forever chemicals like 6PPD-quinone, a chemical released as tires break down. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are commonly referred to as forever chemicals because they do not break down easily in the environment. The chemicals have been widely used since at least the 1940s and '50s in the production of waterproof fabrics, nonstick cookware, food packaging, firefighting foam and more.
Devan Rostorfer, manager of the Clean Water Division, said the division recommended restrictions on deep stormwater dry wells to prevent pollutants from being introduced into drinking-water aquifers. Deep stormwater dry wells are typically underground, vertical, seepage-pit systems designed to manage runoff and are used as a long-term, lower-maintenance solution.
"We also have a permit requirement this year to coordinate with firefighting agencies to develop a notification process if firefighting foams are used," she said, adding that many fire districts do not have a notification process in place yet.
The county council is scheduled to review updates to the stormwater code and manual on May 20.
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
Unlock all stories. Stay informed.
Starting at just $1.99/week
Become a subscriber and get unlimited access to every story, plus our ePaper and app for seamless reading anywhere. Stay informed, support local journalism, and stay connected to your community.
Subscribe today
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.