Projects create 'marsh magic' at Fernhill Wetlands

In just two years, Clean Water Services turned a two-acre asphalt parking lot into a lush wetland that doubles as a wastewater-treatment facility.

The magical marsh was on display last Saturday, when about 100 people attended the annual Birds & Brew festival at Fernhill Wetlands on Forest Groves southern edge.

We had huge, huge tours, said Sheri Wantland, public involvement coordinator for CWS. Lots of young kids, teenagers.

But the two-acre Lower Treatment Wetlands is just the first act, a model for what CWS officials hope to do with the more highly visible South Wetlands 90 acres that were once home to three sewage lagoons, thousands of birds and hundreds of bird-watchers every year. That all stopped last May, when CWS drained the lagoons and began reshaping them.

The earth-moving finished last Friday, just ahead of this weeks rains, which are the first step toward refilling the now heavily contoured basin. Workers will install heavy pipes and other hydraulic structures over the next few weeks.

By the time the rainy season ends next summer, the new, improved wetland should be full of water again.

According to Wantland, the redesign aims to meet the wastewater-treatment needs of Forest Grove and Cornelius as the cities continue to expand. With the help of a few other cutting edge purification projects, the wetland will keep treatment costs down while also drawing more wildlife.

As the water-resources management utility for the Tualatin River watershed, Clean Water Services not only treats wastewater and manages flood-protection projects, but also maintains healthy rivers and streams for both people and wildlife. Habitat improvement is part of its mission.

Still, the success of the two-acre Lower Treatment Wetlands surprised even the people who created it.

It was pretty exciting to see so many species come into an area that used to be a parking lot. Pretty impressive, said Jared Kinnear, the recycled-water program manager who helped engineer the transformation.

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Projects create 'marsh magic' at Fernhill Wetlands