Clark County owns a 107-acre property across the East Fork Lewis River from Lewisville Regional Park
VANCOUVER – Delivery of new water tanks for Camp Hope may impact park use and access at Lewisville Regional Park in Battle Ground. Clark County owns a 107-acre property across the East Fork Lewis River from Lewisville Regional Park. The property is leased to Camp Hope of Southwest Washington, which offers day and overnight camps, facility rentals and community events. The property’s water system is aging and no longer meets drinking water requirements. Public Works is making necessary improvements to the water system this summer. The project includes replacing existing water storage tanks, updating piping and the water distribution system, and installing a sanitation system.
Because of the site’s steep hills, unpaved roads and thick vegetation and tree canopy, getting project materials to the site faces additional challenges. It has been determined that for various reasons, the best way to deliver the new water tanks delivered to the project site will be to transport them via helicopter from Lewisville Regional Park.
Impacts to Lewisville Regional Park
The new water tanks and their concrete support structures will be delivered to Lewisville Regional Park, then transported via helicopter across the East Fork Lewis River and to the hillside project site at Camp Hope. The helicopter operation is most likely to occur sometime between July 1 and 3. During helicopter operations:
- There will be a road closure in the park to limit vehicles near the work site. This may impact access to parking near some park amenities.
- The helicopter must pick up six items from the park, one at a time (three tanks and three tank support structures). Each time the helicopter picks up one of these items, it must hover at a fairly low elevation for about 10 minutes to allow crews to attach the item to the helicopter’s harness system. This will generate a significant amount of noise in the park intermittently over the course of several hours.
- A narrow area underneath the helicopter’s flight path must be cleared. This area of the park will be closed to visitors.
Once plans are finalized, a map of closed areas and park impacts will be posted on the park webpage.
While the date and time are subject to change based on helicopter availability and weather, currently the operation is scheduled for the afternoon of July 3. We are working to reduce the impacts to Lewisville Regional Park users as much as possible. Several weeks ago, we stopped accepting reservations for picnic shelters at Lewisville Regional Park for the first few days in July, to minimize the potential for disruption from the helicopter operation on park users. We have begun contacting those with existing reservations/event permits to let them know about the potential for impacts to the park on the date of their event.
If the date or time of the operation changes, we will update the project webpage and contact any patrons with reservations or park use permits for that same date.
For questions about picnic shelter reservations and event permits at Lewisville Regional Park, contact (564) 397-2285 or parks@clark.wa.gov. For questions about the Camp Hope water system upgrade project, please contact Evelyn Ives at (564) 397-5885 or evelyn.ives@clark.wa.gov.
More information can be found at https://clark.wa.gov/public-works/camp-hope and the Public Works homepage.
For information about road and park projects, closures, opportunities for community input, and more, residents can follow Public Works on X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook and Instagram and view information on Nextdoor.
Go to clark.wa.gov/public-works/news to read this information in another language. Click the button in the top right of the page that says “Change language” next to a globe icon and choose your preferred language.
Information provided by Clark Co. WA Communications.
Also read:
- Opinion: Historical state income tax and another massive operating budget highlight the end of the 2026 legislative session
Rep. John Ley details the passage of a state income tax, an expanding $80 billion budget, and new Clark County infrastructure funding following the 2026 legislative session. - VIDEO: Legal challenges certain as Gov. Ferguson prepares to sign new income tax
Senate Minority Leader John Braun and other legislators expect legal challenges and initiative efforts to follow Gov. Ferguson’s signature on Washington’s new income tax law affecting high earners and businesses. - Vancouver Fire Department honors firefighters, community members at annual awards ceremony
Acts of bravery, including river rescues and life-saving interventions by both residents and first responders, were recognized at the Vancouver Fire Department’s annual awards ceremony. - ‘Cram the Cruiser’ to benefit Battle Ground and Prairie High Schools
Officer Phil Anderson’s food pantry at Battle Ground High inspired Prairie High to launch its own, providing snacks and building bridges between students and law enforcement. - Opinion: Fighting for transparency in Washington government
A recent court decision allows Washington lawmakers broad new secrecy over internal records, as advocates report rising obstacles to government transparency and public engagement. - New Washington law clarifies what is an ‘election’
After a court ruling challenged the state’s definition of “election,” lawmakers clarified the law to prevent double voting and maintain the integrity of Washington’s ballots. - Opinion: Attacking Democracy in the name of Democracy
Ryan Frost critiques several 2024 legislative bills, warning unchecked Democrat dominance enables policies that erode local accountability, block referenda, and threaten citizen participation.
