Portlanders celebrate restoration of Johnson Creek

From the Portland Tribune:

Portlanders gathered Tuesday to celebrate the completion of a project that restored part of Johnson Creek in Southeast Portland to a more natural state.

The crowd came to see a section of Johnson Creek restored to correct previous man-made realignments that had altered the creek in the past.

In the 1930s, the federal Works Progress Administration modified sections along 15 miles of Johnson Creek, including a portion just south of Powell Butte Nature Park along the Springwater Corridor Trail, straightening it and lining it with rocks.

"The idea they had was if they did that, the water would flow through faster and there would be less flooding," said Marie Johnson, program coordinator on the Johnson Creek watershed team for the city of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services. "Well, actually what happened is there was less area for the water to overflow into during flooding times, so instead of storing water it would push more flooding down stream."

As a result, natural habitats of a variety of animals and fish were also effected during the years.

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