The City has been awarded $2.7 million in a Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant for a project that will return portions of Amazon Creek to a natural stream

Eugene, OR – According to the city officials, the work will include removing the 65-year-old concrete channel of Amazon Creek that runs through Amazon Park from East 24th Avenue to East 20th Avenue.

The bank of the creek will be sloped and replanted with native species, and a footbridge will be reconstructed south of 20th Avenue.

The grant application was submitted in August 2020.

The section of the creek that will see remediation is within a major city park and adjacent to a high school, a middle school and a much-beloved trail system that often is used for educational purposes.

The full cost of the project is estimated at $3.6 million. The FEMA grant will cover 75%; according to the grant, the remaining 25% must come from local sources, and in this case it’s coming from the stormwater utility fund, stormwater system development charges, and the 2018 Parks and Recreation Bond.