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Eugene’s Amazon Creek will become a more natural stream

A creek within a concrete channel with a chain link fence and grass bordering it.
City of Eugene
The city plans to remove the concrete channel of Amazon Creek that runs through Amazon Park from East 24th Avenue to East 20th Avenue.

A creek that winds through south Eugene will become a wilder place thanks to a $2.7 million grant from the federal government.

A map shows where the Amazon Creek project is planned in South Eugene.
City of Eugene
A map shows where the Amazon Creek project is planned in South Eugene.

The City of Eugene has secured grant funding to remove a 65-year-old concrete channel of Amazon Creek from East 24th Avenue to East 20th Avenue.

The banks of the channel, within Amazon Park, will be replanted with native species. The project also includes a new footbridge. Marion Suitor Barnes with Eugene Public Works said the concrete is a hazard in case of an earthquake.

“Primarily, we’re really excited about returning that to a more natural creek area that’s going to be a lot more inviting to flora and fauna,” she said. “Just a lot more pleasant to be around and much more appropriate for a park setting.”

The city will also plant shade trees along the creek bank to help keep the water cool for wildlife and fish.

The FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant covers most of the $3.6 million project. The remaining cost will come from local sources, including the stormwater utility fund, stormwater system development charges, and the 2018 Parks and Recreation Bond.

The city applied for the grant in 2020.

Work is scheduled to start this June with completion expected in November.

Rachael McDonald is KLCC’s host for All Things Considered on weekday afternoons. She also is the editor of the KLCC Extra, the daily digital newspaper. Rachael has a BA in English from the University of Oregon. She started out in public radio as a newsroom volunteer at KLCC in 2000.
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