Transportation Resilience Improvement Plan

Help spread the word about a new public survey for the Transportation Resilience Improvement Plan (TRIP). See also WSDOT’s Online Open House.The TRIP will examine how natural hazards including wildfires, flooding, landslides, and earthquakes  could affect the roads, bridges, and other transportation connections we rely on every day. The survey is open now, and respondents will have the chance to enter a drawing for one of two $100 gift cards after it closes on January 30.Take the survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8619003/WSDOT-Transportation-Resilience-Improvement-Plan-Survey-2026

Jan 24 Flett Creek Stewardship

By Derek Faust Just a reminder about the habitat stewardship event on CPTC’s Flett Property this Saturday, January 24th from 9:00 AM to noon!  I have attached the flyer with pertinent details and all of the 2026 dates for our remaining habitat stewardship events.   For this event, we will focus on removal of invasive plant species (scotch broom and…

High Tides this week

The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flooding Advisory for the Puget Sound coastal areas of Pierce County from 01-03-2026 04:00 AM to 08:00 AM. Minor to moderate coastal flooding is expected with inundation of up to 2.0 – 2.5 feet along shorelines and low-lying coastal areas. These conditions are expected during high tides…

Valuable Watershed Knowledge

By Marianne Lincoln For many years, I have been working within the Chambers-Clover Watershed called WRIA 12. During this flooding event, life in WRIA 12 has been fairly normal. The creeks are slowing but not topping their banks or flooding neighborhoods. Just down the hill, it is a very different story. The warm rain event…

Great Job Everyone!

Editorial Comment: Marianne Lincoln I know we are still in the middle of this rain event in Washington State, but I have to comment. Since the mid 1990’s, I have travelled around Pierce County and taken photos of flooding. Occasionally, I jump into my sister’s Cessna 172, and she does the flying while I take…

Watershed Group Holiday party

Wednesday, December 17 is the general meeting date for the Chambers Clover Watershed Council. Because this is December, the CCWC will hold its annual holiday party on that date. The Christmas Holiday Party will be held at the El Toro Cantina in Parkland from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The address for El Toro is 13719…

Restoring WRIA 12: A Unified Path Forward for Pierce County’s Watershed

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…

Budget push with some holiday gifts

By Marianne Lincoln It is a quiet morning, but the past few weeks have been busy with things that needed to happen for me before the holiday rush. With Thanksgiving around the corner, we are about to have a barrage of holiday invitations, events, and all the trimmings will be put up around the community….

Nov 18 Public Comment Deadline

COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES Pierce County Surface Water Improvement Program (SWIP) Pierce County provides services in fulfillment of various regulatory drivers, including: Clean Water Act and NPDES Permit Compliance; Endangered Species Act (ESA) Compliance, Culvert Replacement Program, The Hirst Decision and Watershed Planning, Floodplain Management and NFIP Compliance. Pierce County geographic area covers the Puyallup and Nisqually…

Watershed Roundup Nov 18

Pierce County has four state designated watersheds. The Chambers Clover Watershed (WRIA12) includes Lakewood, University Place, most of Tacoma, Dupont, Spanaway, Parkland, Frederickson, Midland, Elk Plain, and the northwest part of Graham. This watershed is dependent on rain. For the past three years, the area has been under drought conditions. In October, it was at…

Is the Clover Creek system headed to extinction?

It is the end of October, 2025. The salmon are coming up Chambers Bay. Some have even been allowed over the dam to spawn naturally rather than be taken at the hatchery. Sadly, there is no water in Clover Creek. The fish cannot get any farther than Chambers Creek and Leech Creek. The fish ladder…

Do not disturb the redds

It is Fall. It is raining. In Washington, that means there are salmon coming up the creeks and rivers to spawn. The spawning female salmon make nests in which to lay eggs. They move their bodies and tails back and forth in the gravel to create a cone shaped hollow. They may create several in…