This floodplain was created at the end of the last ice age about 15,000 years ago. Massive floods inundated much of the Pacific Northwest, including the Willamette Valley and the Columbia River Gorge, and dropped a wide, flat swath of sand and soil. Later Johnson Creek was created by runoff from surrounding higher land and it carved a channel in the deposits. This area forms a complex physical and biological system that not only supports a variety of natural resources but also provided natural flood and erosion control. In addition, the floodplain represents a natural filtering system, with water percolating back into the ground and replenishing groundwater.
The value of floodplains hasn’t always been recognized. Waterways were straightened and their floodplains low land filled in and used for construction resulting in the natural, built-in benefits either lost, altered, or significantly reduced. This is an area under going restoration where the natural worth can be observed.
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