Clean Water Services Awarded $70,000 Reforestation Grant to
Improve Water Quality and Habitat in Beaverton

Hillsboro, OR — June 2, 2005 — A $70,000 reforestation grant from the federal Timber Safety Net Program will help Clean Water Services restore 11 acres of stream and wetland property near the confluence of Beaverton and Johnson Creeks adjacent to the Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton beginning this summer.

The Beaverton-Johnson Riparian and Wetland Reforestation Project will plant 35,000 native trees and shrubs along nearly 3,500 linear feet of Beaverton Creek and Johnson Creek to provide shade and help reduce stream temperatures in an area now dominated by invasive non-native plants such at Himalayan blackberry and Reed Canary grass. The new vegetation will filter runoff from nearby roads and parking lots, provide habitat for riparian species, and in time will also improve the food supply and habitat for fish.

The $70,000 reforestation grant is funded from Washington County’s share of the federal Timber
Safety Net Program (Title III). The federal program is intended to replace lost timber revenue from
federal lands and can be used for community forestry projects. The balance of the $215,470 project is
funded with $144,970 from Clean Water Services’ Surface Water Management fees and system
development charges.

This is just one of many projects that Clean Water Services is leading in partnership with Washington County and its cities to improve water quality, water quantity and aquatic habitat. Site preparation will begin in early July with the removal of blackberries and other invasive plant species. Once the land is cleared, planting will begin on the reforestation project in the Fall and will eventually transform a barren landscape into a forest of native trees.

Clean Water Services is the sanitary sewer and surface water management utility for more than 480,000 people in urban Washington County and small portions of Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Lake Oswego, and Portland. Clean Water Services operates four wastewater treatment plants, constructs and maintains flood management and water quality projects and manages flow in the Tualatin River to improve water quality and protect fish habitat. Although Clean Water Services maintains a close working relationship with Washington County government, it is a separately managed and financed public utility.

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