Berm construction to begin at Parcel 3

Parcel 3 Berm construction

Later this month, construction will begin on the earthen, vegetative berm along the south bank of the Vancouver Lake Flushing Channel. The Parcel 3 Berm is being built to comply with the 2015 agreement among the Port of Vancouver USA, Columbia River Alliance for Nurturing the Environment and Columbia Land Trust.  The agreement allows for future development of 450 heavy-industrial acres at the port’s Columbia Gateway property.

Under the agreement, the port transferred 540 acres adjacent to its Columbia Gateway property to Columbia Land Trust. The Land Trust, a Vancouver, Washington-based conservation organization, is managing the property in perpetuity as a vital feeding, foraging and resting site for sandhill cranes and other migratory species. Sandhill cranes are a Washington State-listed endangered species.

Construction of the berm will begin later this month with initial placement of material extending approximately 3,000 feet long, 82 feet wide and 12 feet in height above flood elevation. The berm will primarily be composed of material from port stockpile locations and on-site grading, and will be planted with a combination of native plant species and erosion control seed mix.

Plantings will help provide a visual and sound buffer, and transition from the industrial zoned property south of the Vancouver Lake Flushing Channel to the park, open space and wildlife conservation areas to the north. The plantings will also increase the quantity and diversity of native vegetation at the site.

Construction is anticipated to take place over the summer of 2019, and April through September of 2020, followed by plantings in early 2021. The staggered timeline will minimize impacts to sensitive migratory wildlife and take advantage of optimal weather conditions and planting windows.  An additional 500 feet of the berm will be constructed at the western end at a future date.