The nonprofit Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership in 2025 will restore the land to its natural condition as part of the East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project

A former gravel mine, central to a $20 million habitat restoration project along the East Fork Lewis River, is now officially owned by Clark County. 

The Ridgefield Pits real estate transaction was finalized on July 27, 2024, following five years of negotiations and due diligence between Clark County and Cemex International. The acquisition of the 124.86-acre property cost $625,000.

The nonprofit Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership in 2025 will restore the land to its natural condition as part of the East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project. 

This project aims to reduce erosion and flood risks to homes and businesses, reconnect the East Fork to its historic floodplain, and enhance recreation and access for the public. The three-mile project stretches from Lower Daybreak Park to Ridgefield Pits.

“This real estate acquisition fulfills a key objective of the Legacy Lands program, which identifies critical habitats for conservation, public access, and recreation,” said Denielle Cowley, Lands Coordinator in Public Works. “The Ridgefield Pits is a vital component of Clark County’s vision for a greenway trail along the East Fork Lewis River.”

Elaine Placido, Executive Director for Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership praised the acquisition, saying, “By purchasing the Ridgefield Pits property, the county has unlocked over $20 million in state and federal grants to make the East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project a reality. We commend Clark County leaders for their vision of a restored river that supports robust salmon and steelhead runs while reducing flood and erosion risks to homes and businesses.”

Historic maps from the 1850s depict this stretch of the East Fork Lewis River as a complex, multi-channel river with extensive floodplain habitat, wetlands, alcoves and side channels. Gravel mining in the early 20th century confined the river to a single channel. During the 500-year flood event in 1995-96, the artificially constructed single channel broke through the river’s south bank into the nine abandoned gravel pits known as the Ridgefield Pits. The river continues to flow through these gravel pits, causing significant water quality issues.

The river’s avulsion into the gravel pits has led to the proliferation of non-native plants and created suitable habitats for fish that prey on juvenile salmon. Additionally, this stretch of the river often forms a temperature barrier for migrating salmon and steelhead, delaying their upriver travel to spawn and potentially lowering spawning rates, thus impacting future generations of these fish.

For more information on the county’s Legacy Lands program visit the county’s website at https://clark.wa.gov/public-works/legacy-lands-program. Information on Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership is available at https://www.estuarypartnership.org/.

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Information provided by Clark Co. WA Communications.