The City of Hillsboro, Oregon, and Metro, the regional government for the Portland metropolitan area, have partnered to develop a nature park that will accommodate recreational uses while preserving and enhancing key natural resource areas for native fish and wildlife habitat, including riparian forest, upland oak savanna, streams, wetlands, and floodplains.
Considerations for public safety, recreational trail layout, flood effects, and channel stability shaped project design and hydraulic modelling needs.
Cardno designed, permitted, and supervised construction of in-stream and floodplain habitat enhancement elements, including the removal of a water diversion dam in collaboration with multiple stakeholders. The project involved bank stabilization, habitat restoration, and fish passage improvements in a creek with ESA-listed steelhead.
Cardno also designed a large wood structure for grade and width control where an irrigation diversion dam was removed. The project scope included federal and state permitting and construction oversight, including floodplain no-rise certification, Clean Water Act permit applications, access road layout, fish passage standards, and erosion and sediment control plans.
During construction, Cardno engineers and biologists oversaw wood structure installation, approved field-fit decisions, and ensured compliance with material specifications, dewatering, and erosion control measures.
Inspection reports with photos and corrective actions were submitted to Metro’s project manager at frequent intervals during construction.
