The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership (Estuary Partnership)announced that it has selected Battle Ground-based Tapani Inc. to serve as the prime contractor for the multi-year East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project. The total cost of the project is $23.5 million – the construction contract with Tapani represents 46% of the project’s total budget. The project will reclaim the former Ridgefield Pits gravel mines and other floodplain areas, restore 200 acres of floodplain to benefit juvenile salmon and other native species, recharge groundwater aquifers, and reduce flood and erosion risk to neighboring homes and businesses. The project will also relocate the county maintenance yard located on NE 269th Street out of the 100-year floodplain and move the Daybreak Trail away from a rapidly eroding riverbank, while using natural solutions to reduce erosion.
“As a family-owned business rooted in Battle Ground, Tapani is excited to contribute to a project that strengthens both the community and environment in Clark County. The East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project will provide jobs for upwards of 35 people in our highly skilled workforce. Our crews know this river well—it’s where our families fish, swim, and explore. Partnering with the Estuary Partnership is a meaningful opportunity to restore and enhance it for future generations,” stated Brandon Farmer Senior Project Manager at Tapani.
“The East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project has been refined through a decade of planning, research, and engineering from dedicated partners at Clark County, the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Columbia Land Trust, and J.L Stordahl and Sons. I am thrilled to add Tapani to that list as the partner to bring this highly anticipated project across the finish line while also providing local jobs that support the economy of Southwest Washington,” stated Chris Collins, Restoration Program Lead for the Estuary Partnership.
The Project is slated to break ground in spring 2025, and construction will be completed in two years. The construction of the project is funded through the Washington Department of Ecology’s Floodplains by Design and Streamflow Reconnection and Habitat Restoration programs, the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office Salmon Recovery Fund, Washington DOT, and NOAA’s Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resiliency Project grant.
About the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership
The Estuary Partnership was established in 1995 by the Governors of Washington and Oregon and the U.S. EPA to provide regional coordination, to advance science, and to get on‐the‐ground results in the lower Columbia River and estuary. It is a collaborative program of the states of Oregon and Washington, federal agencies, tribal governments, non‐profit organizations, businesses and economic interests, and citizens. The Estuary Partnership restores and protects habitat, improves water quality and reduces pollution, and provides information about the river. The lower Columbia River and estuary is an “Estuary of National Significance,” one of only 28 National Estuary Programs in the nation. The U.S. EPA administers the National Estuary Program, created in the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act. The Estuary Partnership is a 501(c)3 non‐profit corporation. For more information, visit www.estuarypartnership.org
