Tumwater committee endorses grant to stabilize riverbank along Pioneer Park  

A project to stabilize the riverbank of the Deschutes River as it passes through Pioneer Park will take its next step, as work on an earlier phase proceeds concurrently. 

The Tumwater Public Works Committee endorsed a grant agreement with the Washington Department of Ecology to fund phase two of the Pioneer Park restoration project. The committee made the decision on Thursday, May 22. 

The grant is for $500,000 and will be used to cover all stages of the second phase from permitting and design to construction. 

The committee also endorsed a contract amendment with the city’s contractor for the project, Stantec, allowing the firm to spend up to $190,285 for the design and permitting of both phases of the project. 

With the committee’s endorsement, the two contracts will be forwarded to the city council for approval as part of its consent agenda on June 3. 

Phases 1 and 2 proceed concurrently 

Due to the erosion of the riverbank, the park has been found to transmit more than 2,380 cubic yards of fine sediment every year into the Deschutes River, negatively impacting habitat conditions for coho salmon. 

Grant Gilmore, a Water Resources Specialist in Tumwater, said by improving the river flow, the projects aim to reduce sediment loading by 46%, which is in line with the targets set by an Department of Ecology report in 2015. 

The project's first phase focuses on enhancing the upstream river flow by planting native vegetation outside of the park to stabilize the banks and reduce erosion, as well as provide shading to reduce water temperature. 

The first phase is still in the design phase, and the planting is not expected to begin until September or October, according to Gilmore. Also, Stantec will be starting the design on phase two as well. 

The second phase deals with a stretch of river as it passes through the park. It involves the installation of on-water features that replicate the natural flow of the river.  

Gilmore said the aim is to begin the construction stage of the second phase by 2027 or 2028. He attributed the lengthy timeline to the backlog at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which issues permits for construction on federal waters. 

Including the new grant, the city has received $838,000 in grant funding from the Department of Ecology for the project. The city is also spending $112,695 from its stormwater utility fund, which it is using as matching funds for an earlier grant.