A $176,000 brownfields grant will help pay for cleanup efforts underway at the site of a new Tualatin River boat launch.
The grant from the Oregon Coalition Brownfields Cleanup Fund will pay for cleanup and restoration work at a newly acquired 1.6-acre parcel near the intersection of Southwest Farmington and Southwest River roads south of Hillsboro. Crews have already removed two buildings previously on the site and are testing for contaminated soil or groundwater. Any contaminated soil will be removed.
The new land is adjacent to two other parcels to the south that Metro already owns. The combined area will provide a future launch site for canoes, kayaks and other nonmotorized boats to access the Tualatin River.
Metro also recently won a $287,500 grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation District’s local grant program. That grant will help pay for improvements on the site, which will include parking, restrooms, benches and picnic tables.
The boat launch will provide easy access to the Tualatin River, along which paddlers can spot blue herons, belted kingfishers and other wildlife. The project will complete the first part of the Tualatin River Water Trail, which calls for river access points every five miles.
Ellen Wyoming
503-797-1894
[email protected]