Submitted By the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance
Pierce County’s lakes, wetlands, and aquifers quietly hold our communities together. They supply our drinking water, support wildlife, buffer floods, and sustain the landscapes that define our region. Because these systems often operate out of sight, it is easy to overlook how essential they are until the signs of decline become too obvious to ignore.
Today, Water Resource Inventory Area 12 (WRIA 12), otherwise known as the Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed, is exhibiting signs of decline. Stormwater runoff, groundwater contamination, wetland loss, and unbalanced land use have pushed the basin beyond its capacity. This is why the Pierce County Council’s recent efforts to strengthen watershed governance deserve our recognition. Their work signals an understanding that protecting our water resources requires not only maintenance but leadership. However, acknowledging the problem is only the first step.
What we choose to do next will determine the health of this watershed for generations to come. For decades, watershed management has focused on treating symptoms rather than causes. We attempt to fix lakes without addressing the contaminants that feed them, and we respond to low water levels without confronting groundwater overuse. These efforts may provide temporary relief, but they do nothing to stop the forces driving the decline. Without clarity, sources such as contaminated stormwater, groundwater pathways, land-use pressure, and legacy contamination lead to well-intentioned projects diverting vital resources, often ignoring the needs of what sustains life, our water.
We must let science guide our decisions if we expect lasting results!
Nowhere is the decline more evident than in our groundwater system. Aquifers across Pierce County are dropping faster than they can naturally recharge, threatening long-term water availability. At the same time, wetlands, the natural systems that cleanse, stabilize, and replenish groundwater, continue to disappear. Once these systems are lost, no engineering solution can fully replace them. Wetland protection is not an option; it is the very foundation of our watershed’s recovery!
Growth that exceeds a watershed’s hydrological capacity also accelerates decline. To prevent further degradation, this administration must demand smarter land-use decisions by implementing watershed-specific zoning that aligns development with ecological limits. Doing this will help to ensure the watershed’s ability to sustain our lakes, rivers, creeks and streams.
Although the challenges within our watershed are significant, the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance (CCRA) firmly believes that, with coordinated interlocal leadership, grounding decisions in science-based planning, prioritizing wetland and aquifer protection, while addressing pollution at its source, rather than treating the symptoms, leaders can reverse decades of ecological decline and restore a resilient watershed for future generations.
Looking ahead, consider:
- Implementing transparent, science-based restoration framework shared across Planning, Surface Water Management, and Public Works Departments.
- External nutrient-reduction projects, such as stormwater retrofits, infiltration improvements, and advanced filtration, which provide high returns on public investment.
- Interlocal coordination between jurisdictions to ensure land-use decisions match watershed capacity.
- Lake-management strategies focused on causes rather than symptoms.
- And finally, a transparent, unified data platform that incorporates citizen input and clear, measurable performance goals.
Once again, we commend the Pierce County Council for taking meaningful steps, including the adoption of Ordinance No. O2025-558 (Pierce County Surface Water Improvement Program 2026–2033), which acknowledges the urgent need to protect water sustainability. However, much work remains ahead.
As Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day, reminded us: “The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”
Restoring WRIA 12 is precisely that kind of test. It asks residents, leaders, and community members alike to act now so that future generations inherit a healthier, more resilient watershed.
The CCRA would like to invite you to step off the sidelines and take part in hands-on restoration. Large or small, every effort strengthens the health of our shared watershed.
Ultimately, the resilience of WRIA 12 will be shaped by the collective actions of the people who call this basin home. Together, we stand for what we all deserve: a healthy, sustainable environment that protects our future.
Visit us at: clovercreekra.com
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