golf club razes property without permit from CWS
Despite the fact that DSL had returned the golf club application to them as incomplete, the golf club brought a backhoe in on September 30 and began indiscriminately clearing their property around the wetland (as you can see) clearing ALL plants, invasive and native alike. Must have been a horrible time to be a bird or animal.
They received a Stop Order from Clean Water Services for a variety of reasons: the work was not permitted for erosion control, they did not have clear boundaries around the wetland and the vegetative corridor AND there was discrepancy between the width of the vegetative corridor mandated by CWS (50 feet) and what PGC had told their workers (25 feet). Work was stopped and then the golf club finally filed a permit application with CWS on October 4 (it is posted on this website under Documents & Articles, titled CWS Sensitive Area Certification Form.)
Since that time (October 4) the clearing has not restarted, as there is ongoing permitting and parameters that the golf club needs to meet before they will be allowed to re start. We do not have a lot of details on this process. We filed a Public Records Request on November 1 in order to get more information but have not received records yet.
Still the question remains: why not just dredge their pond and haul the dredge tailings off-site instead of destroying the greenspace & wildlife habitat, and ruining the trail experience for community members?
department of state lands returns golf club application (for 5th time), deems it "incomplete"
DSL has, again, returned the Joint Permit Application to the PGC, deeming it "incomplete." The golf club has until January 22, 2025 to revise-and-refile.
Remember this application had some major changes from previous versions. The golf club no longer propose to put the sludge dredged from the irrigation pond in the wetland adjacent to the Fanno Creek Trail. Instead, they propose stacking the fabric bags full of sludge in a 1.1-acre area cleared of all vegetation just to the west of the wetland. The volume is the same - 5300 cubic yards - but the bags will not be covered with soil. The 7-12’ pile will be visible from the trail from SW 83rd Avenue to the east side of the wooden bridge at the pump station.
Despite bags being placed "to the side," the wetland will still be affected. They propose a sump pump will be dug at least 8’ deep into the north end of the wetland, necessitating the removal of about 44 cubic yards of earth (about 4 dump truck loads). The water seeping from the bags would be collected in the wetland to be pumped back to the irrigation pond. A main problem with this revised application was their proposal that a large gravel staging area will replace the wooded area at the end of SW 82nd Avenue. A 20-25’ wide permanent access road was proposed to be built from the staging area across the southern edge of the wetland to the sludge pile. This road will destroy the point where water draining from the neighborhood enters the wetland. PGC finally admits in this version of the application that the wetland is connected hydrologically to downstream wetlands and to Fanno Creek, and propose the use of two check dams. However, they will not prevent the contamination of Fanno Creek with silt or toxic substances from the sludge.
If you want to read the details, here is the Most recent PGC application with the state
are golf courses toxic?
If you have a few minutes, watch this informative presentation on the dangers of product used on golf courses. This is important for our cause, of course because the dredge tailings from the golf courses' pond will be placed in semi-permeable fabric bags right along our beautiful trail!
Research presentation (linked below) by Meredith Boos , who received her Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana where she played collegiate golf. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental Biology at Regis University and planning on attending law school post graduation. She consults with golf courses, advising them on sustainable development and natural management.
dangers of product used on golf courses: a presentation
Neighbors for Wetland Preservation
who we are
Our history
Our history
We are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit.
We are committed to Fanno Creek, beautiful old growth trees, healthy wetlands and wildlife habitat.
Our focus is the greenspace & the wetland alongside the Fanno Creek Trail in Garden Home.
Our history
Our history
Our history
Portland Golf Club lies in Washington County, Oregon. Fanno Creek runs through their property. They have water rights to the Creek, they take & store water in their irrigation pond.
In 2021 they made public their intent to dredge the pond, pumping water & dredge to the southern portion of their property, immediately adjacent to the F
Portland Golf Club lies in Washington County, Oregon. Fanno Creek runs through their property. They have water rights to the Creek, they take & store water in their irrigation pond.
In 2021 they made public their intent to dredge the pond, pumping water & dredge to the southern portion of their property, immediately adjacent to the Fanno Creek Trail. The dredge tailings will be left in bags on top of the wetland. They estimate the equivalent of 500 dump trucks of dredge tailings will be permanently placed on top of the wetland.
This will destroy the wetland, eliminate wildlife habitat, create an eyesore, alter storm water flow and potentially contaminate Fanno Creek.
As a result, neighbors organized to provide a unified voice in opposition, requesting we work together with the PGC toward environmentally sound solutions.
Our goals
Our history
Our goals
The Portland Golf Club accepts the role of leaders in ecosystem preservation and sustainability within the golf club world. To do this, we ask the following:
- The Portland Golf Club care for and preserve Wetland A on the Pinger Property. In order to achieve this, they should not clear the property, they should not place dredge on the prop
The Portland Golf Club accepts the role of leaders in ecosystem preservation and sustainability within the golf club world. To do this, we ask the following:
- The Portland Golf Club care for and preserve Wetland A on the Pinger Property. In order to achieve this, they should not clear the property, they should not place dredge on the property. They should foster native growth and remove invasive species in order to maximize functionality of the wetland and the watershed.
- Stream restoration, of both Fanno Creek and Woods Creek, at the points they enter the Golf Club, they traverse the Golf Club, and they exit the Golf Club. Make real efforts to slow peak water flows which can be erosive. This will foster native wildlife and fish, particularly cutthroat trout.
- The Golf Club works with the public and community organizations to remove non-native, invasive species (English Ivy) which threatens old growth trees.