​Historical Documents and Links

Most of these were posted on the Lacamas Shores HOA website, www.LacamasShoresHOA.org until October 2018

Documents that Designated that the Property must be a "Biofilter Stormwater Drainage System":

• 1988 Agreed Order of Remand from the Shoreline Hearings Board (link)
  • See last page for map.  The dotted line separates the shoreline wetlands from the "emergent wetlands" mentioned in the permit, which were used for the Biofilter.   The shoreline wetlands were required to be kept as natural wetlands and physically separated from the Biofilter.   The Biofilter was to protect the water quality going into the natural wetlands and the Lake. 
• City of Camas Permit No. 2-87 (C-2-87) and Shoreline Conditional Use Permit, Camas Permit No. 590-14-7806.  This permit required water quality standards ("triggers") to be set for the Biofilter after the first year of testing.   Those standards are listed on page 52 here and here in Tables 12-15​​.  
  • ​Exhibit_B and Addendum - Stormwater Runoff Control Plan - gives details of pipe system.

Other Official Documents that Acknowledge that the Property is a Biofilter Stormwater System

• 1988 Deed of Dedication for the Conservancy Zone.  Shows the agreement of the City to allow the LS HOA to encroach on the Conservancy Zone to perform maintenance on the biofilter.  ​​
• ​​1993 Revised Permit
• Lacamas Shores HOA Interim Trail, Open Space, Wetland and Storm Drainage Maintenance Manual - written by the City of Camas for the HOA. 
• City of Camas Stormwater Facilities Map - March 2016, and revised March 2019.
• 5-year Stormwater Runoff and Wetland Biofilter Monitoring Program for the Lacamas Shores Residential Development and its appendices​​.  The final report was required by court order, permit and contract.  It was used to set compliance criteria ("triggers") for the LS Biofilter.   Those triggers are listed in the appendices Tables 12-15 and a table in the 1993 magazine article titled "Compliance Criteria Determined from Site Monitoring".
• Camas Comprehensive Stormwater Drainage Plan - April 2013
• 1992 Lacamas Shores Stormwater Map - shows addition of the Bioswale and sediment settling pond in 1993 to treat runoff from the SE part of the LS Development.  The Lacamas Shores Storm Drainage System Synopsis  explains the system.  
• 1993 magazine article “Wetlands for Stormwater Treatment” exclusively about the innovative design of the Lacamas Shores Biofilter Treatment Facility.

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Documents that Explain how to Maintain a Biofilter Stormwater System​

• Lacamas Shores HOA Interim Trail, Open Space, Wetland and Storm Drainage Maintenance Manual (repeat from above) written by the City of Camas for the HOA.  p.1-1 and 1-3.
• DOE - Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington - 2014 (link)
  • The DOE official webpage for BMP T10.30
  • Note this excerpt from Volume V, Runoff Treatment BMPs, page 991, Best Management Practice T10.30
• EPA – Stormwater Wet Pond and Wetland Management Guidebook, p.38-40
• ​“Managing Stormwater”, a manual by the Stormwater Partners of SW Washington (including Clark County and City of Camas) created for HOAs, p. 14-15
• Stormwater Partners webpage Guide to Maintenance
• Clark County Stormwater Manual 2015, Book 4 “Stormwater Facility Operation and Maintenance”​​, p.67-71. 
  • In Book 1: "Applicability, BMP Selection, and Submittal":
    • P. 28:  Projects located in the Lacamas watershed require phosphorus treatment stormwater treatment facilities:
    • P. 102: "In Clark County, the Lacamas watershed above the dam at the south end of Round Lake is a phosphorus-sensitive water body."
    • P. 125-127  Section 3.2.3.4 - Lists facilities acceptable for treating phosphorus and that they "are intended to achieve a goal of 50% total phosphorus removal"
  • In Book 2: "BMP Design", it adopts the DOE's BMP T10.30 (above) about the maintenance of Stormwater Treatment Wetlands on p. 236.
• City of Camas "Storm Sewer Systems Operations and Maintenance Manual" 2009, p 22-24
• LS HOA Draft Description of Proposed Project - Given to the City July 2017 
• “Lacamas Shores HOA Meadowlands Park Wetland Delineation & Proposed Vegetation Plan” submitted by ETC to the City of Camas in March 2017, per the City's directive.   

Regulatory Exemptions for Stormwater Treatment Facilities (i.e, Biofilters)
     From the Shoreline Management Act

• RCW 90.58.030(2)(h) - Exempts most artificial wetlands created from nonwetland sites from the Shoreline Management Act.  It notes that even mitigation wetlands might be exempt, so biofiltration systems should be.

     From the Camas Shoreline Master Program ("Camas SMP")

• ​Camas SMP 1.9.5 - Previously approved projects are "vested", i.e., exempt from the Camas Shoreline Program.

     From "Critical Area" designation or reporting

• CMC 16.51.100(A)3 -  Maintenance and repair of utilities is exempt from "critical areas" definition.  Stormwater treatment facilities are "utilities". 
• CMC 16.53.010(C)(2)(b) – Exempts artificial wetlands created from nonwetland sites from "critical areas" including stormwater facilities.
• CMC 16.51.110(D) and 16.53.010(B)(3)(b) – Exempts property from "critical areas" where otherwise all reasonable use would be denied.
• CMC 16.51.120 - Critical area report is not necessary for previously permitted activities.

​Original Historical Documents

• Environmental Technology Consultant’s Maps (see above CALU “Meadowlands Biofilter” Final Report, Appendices pages 9-10)
• City of Camas – Timeline (see CALU Final Report Appendices pages 11-13)
• 1994 Order challenging the 1993 Revised Permit - explains that same use as the original permit is under local jurisdiction.
• June 2000 Settlement Agreement and Viewshed Plan - explains what happened and the terms of the viewshed plan.  Note that one of the parties was a specific "purported class" of Lacamas Shores homeowners - it did not include all LS homeowners. 

City of Camas Documents

• November 2019 Letter and Packet from Mayor Turk - with preface, annotations, and links.  
• Letter from City Attorney – February 6, 2018
  • Annotated version - see page 8
• Camas Municipal Code – Critical Area Exemptions - see above
•  "Stormwater Facility Maintenance Tips" ​ flyer by City accompanying all Stormwater Facility Inspection reports. 
• Camas Shoreline Master Plan – revised 2015
  • Exemptions - see above
• Camas SMP Restoration Plan – final 2011
• Camas Stormwater Design Standards Manual​
• Camas Stormwater Management Program, 2020.  Required by Camas' NPDES Permit, which permits the City's entire stormwater run off for a 5-year period

Washington

• Ecology - 1988 Letter from DOE regarding LS Permit requirements and the DOE's major concerns. 
• Ecology - 2018 letter from DOE Wetland Specialist.  Unaware of 1988 letter and Origination documents
  • Annotated version explains the contradictions
• Ecology - Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit - applicable to Camas.  See also on WSU's website
• DOE – 2013 Update on Wetland Buffers (link)
• WDFW – Lacamas Lake is eutrophic​

Clean Water Act ("CWA") Lawsuit

• Complaint
• Answer - defenses include: the plaintiff didn't sue soon enough (laches), the CWA is  unconstitutional, and others that are not relevant to a federal strict liability lawsuit.

State Court Breach of  CC&Rs Lawsuit

• Complaint - Note pages 20-21,  quoting the HOA's report listing various repairs to the Biofilter.  
• No answer yet filed.  HOA filed a motion to dismiss because there is a CWA lawsuit. 

In the News​

• Clark County Today, April 24, 2020 - "Clark County Public Health closes Lacamas Lake and Round Lake due to elevated toxin levels"
• Daily Journal of Commerce - Oregon: 2000/06/30 Camas Meadows Opens a Golfer's Challenge Set In a Natural Haven
• Columbian: “Shoring up a key wetland in Camas” – by Katy Sword, April 18, 2018
• 1992 - Officials seek solution to Lacamas Lake Pollution, Seattle Times 
• 2007 - Polluted Camas Lake Needs Oxygen Pumps
• March 2019 - Greening Lakes Significantly Increase Greenhouse Gases 
• Camas History - Lake was there before the Mill was created. 

Federal

• EPA – Stormwater Wet Pond and Wetland Management Guidebook, p.38-40
• Clean Water Act
  • 2020 Final Change to CWA declaring "diffuse stormwater runoff and directional sheet flow over upland" is not a WUSA.  
    • (replaces Exemption – 40 CFR 230.3(o)(2)(iv))
  • Criminal Provisions
• USACE approved a jurisdictional determination that accepted the wetland boundaries delineated in 2017 and labeled the area as under federal jurisdiction.  However, it called the channelized stormwater "tributaries", neglecting to mention that the water comes from a man-made stormwater drainage system, nor does it mention a treatment facility.  

​Lacamas Shores

• Lacamas Shores HOA Articles of Incorporation
• Lake views in Lacamas Shores – a Summary
• Lacamas Shores HOA CC&Rs  - re-typed version
• Tax Assessor’s Report on View Coding and Value Changes and related letter – November 2014
• ​Pamphlet for Homeowners - 1990's
• Evaluation of the Bubbler/Biofiltration/Settling Pond System At Lacamas Shores - 1992 by City of Camas.  States that Biofilter only was not enough.  "The previously constructed wetland at the site removed phosphate associated with sediments, but
  was not efficient in removing soluble colloidal-bound phosphate." Also, the sediment pond was supposed to be a "redundant" feature, not a separate feature.
• Modification to Lacamas Shores Stormwater Disposal System - 1996 manual explaining the systems' functions.​​ - Shows that the bio-swale and sediment pond treat Lake Heights subdivision's stormwater.

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Additional Relevant Documentation

Since the disbanding of the CALU Committee, some neighbors have continued to research the relevant history of the Lacamas Shores Stormwater Treatment System, understanding that each individual neighbor is "jointly and severally liable" for the maintenance of it.   Other relevant documents since found or not previously listed are:​

• 1988 Letter from DOE regarding LS Permit requirements and the DOE's major concerns.  The DOE was clearly concerned about the lake water quality and the shoreline, noting that if this experimental Biofilter did work, a new stormwater treatment facility would need to be constructed. 
• The Shoreline Hearings Board 1994 order  - noted as a Conclusion of Law that jurisdiction is local for all matters within the "scope and intent" of the original permit.
• Lacamas Shores Storm Water Treatment System Engineering Drawings
  • Lacamas Shores Drainage Basin lacamas_shores_drainage_basin.pdf
  • LS Ph 2 Storm Sewer profile ls_-_ph_2_storm_sewer_profile.pdf
  • LS Storm Sewer Outlet Detail ls_-_storm_sewer_outlet_detail.pdf
  • LS Storm System Component Details ls_-_storm_system_component_details.pdf
  • ​LS Storm Sewer Ph 2 Plan ls-stormsewer-_ph_2_plan.pdf​​

More on the Science of Lacamas Lake

• ​Lacamas Creek - Water Quality Study  - 2011​
• City of Camas Comprehensive Stormwater Drainage plan - shows that the City of Camas considered the area a stormwater facility as of 2013 (see p. 44), per their own commissioned report.​​
• National Water Quality Monitoring Council
• ​2010 - Stream Health Report - Lacamas Watershed on p. 17.  One Lacamas stream-health strategy is "Increase infiltration and retention of stormwater runoff from older developments", like ours!
• ​1997 Lacamas Lake Survey: A Warmwater Fish Community - by the Wa. Dept of Fish & Wildlife .  Notes the 1990's Lacamas Lake Restoration Project.
• Phosphorus control is critical to mitigating eutrophication  and Eutrophication of lakes cannot be controlled by reducing nitrogen input: Results of a 37-year whole-ecosystem experiment - 37-year study shows that 1) phosphorus limitation controls algae blooms and 2) limiting Nitrogen makes toxic algae blooms worse. 
• How Can Eutrophication be slowed?  Article explains that the first steps must be to a complete a ground truthing study and a lakeshore inventory.  
• Book - Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems - Discussed 25 different ways to restore eutrophic lakes.  

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This website is privately-owned and kept up by neighbors living in the Lacamas Shores community.  If you would like to reach the official Lacamas Shores Homeowners' Association website, please go to https://www.LacamasShoresHOA.org.