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FODOR & ASSOCIATES <br /> Community Planning Consulting <br /> May 31, 2005 <br /> Stormwater and Water Quality Values <br /> East Fork Amazon Headwaters <br /> Property Description: Highest Quality Natural Resource Site <br /> The East Fork Amazon Headwaters (EFAH) is one of the highest - quality unprotected <br /> natural resource sites in Eugene. It is a 40 -acre parcel of forested land in pristine and <br /> undisturbed condition. The land is contiguous with the City's Amazon Headwaters <br /> Open Space and the Ridgeline Trail System on the south end, making it a high quality <br /> site for supporting native flora and fauna, including rare species known to exist in the <br /> area. <br /> The EFAH has a wide range of natural resource values, some of which are reflected in <br /> the Natural Resources Inventory. The site has the highest Wildlife Habitat Assessment <br /> ranking in the city (66 -68 points). The site contains 2,800 feet of waterways and <br /> approximately three acres of wetlands. <br /> Stormwater Management Benefits <br /> The EFAH area is a unique site in terms of stormwater management. In its current <br /> natural state, this land provides a perpetual stream of benefits to the city by controlling <br /> stormwater. The EFAH is the final stretch of natural forested land in the South Eugene <br /> drainage and contributes significantly to reducing stream flows and erosion from heavy <br /> rainfalls. Hundreds of acres of forested land on the north flank of Spencer Butte buffer <br /> and mitigate stormwater that otherwise would wash down into the Amazon Creek, <br /> causing flood conditions on a regular basis. <br /> Forests are ideal stormwater management systems. Trees capture and slow rainfall in <br /> their leaves and branches. Roots from trees and understory plants provide moisture <br /> pathways for water absorption. The forest duff absorbs and filters rainfall and facilitates <br /> soil absorption and groundwater recharging. Very little rainwater runs off the surface of <br /> a mature, undisturbed forest. Instead, water percolates through the ground, taking weeks <br /> or months to reach streams. <br /> A forest stores about 10 times more water than a typical suburban development. As a <br /> result of our forested South Hills, a heavy rainfall will be largely absorbed. Stream flows <br /> 394 East 32nd Avenue • Eugene, OR 97405 <br /> 541/345 -8246 • fax: 541/345 -2747 • email: info@fodorandassociates.com <br /> 100% Post- Consumer Recycled Paper <br />