OUR Watershed

The City of Camas (City) has three distinct watersheds, including the Lacamas Lake Basin, the Columbia River Basin, and the Washougal River Basin. The basins, as indicated by their names, drain to Lacamas Lake, the Washougal River and the Columbia River, which ultimately drains into the Pacific Ocean. The City has been rapidly growing since 2015, adding a significant amount of both new people and infrastructure to the City's watersheds. A Comprehesive Stormwater Plan was developed in 2013 to plan for new stormwater regulations and future capital improvements that would help meet the City's goals and growth demands.

The three distinct watersheds identified in the plan and discussed above, are shown below. 

Protecting Our Watershed

The City protects the local watersheds by collecting, detaining and treating stormwater runoff. The stormwater collection and conveyance system consist of roadside ditches, streets and sidewalks, curbs and gutters, catch basins and inlets, and drainage pipes. The stormwater facilities that treat and detain stormwater include ponds, bioswales, mechanical treatment filters, wet ponds and detention ponds.

Private subdivisions, single family homes and commercial businesses are all held to the same stormwater regulations as public developments in regards to providing detention and treatment for all stormwater runoff.The Stormwater Facilities Map shows the public and private stormwater facilities in the City of Camas. The Outfall Map shows the location of all outfalls that discharge to a waterbody (e.g.lake,river).