Chelan County Using $400,000 Microsoft Donation on Project to Restore Upper Valley Meadow for Water Retention

Chelan County is using a special donation to restore some pieces of land in the Wenatchee Basin to where they'll retain water for needed uses.

Camas Meadow near the Peshastin Drainage used to be a sponge that held a lot of wetland water before it deteriorated.

Chelan County Commissioner Bob Bugert says a $400,000 donation from Microsoft will be used to repair the Meadow.

"With this Money from Microsoft, we'll be able to go in and restore that meadow to its natural state," said Bugert. "This will take several years in the process, but we've got secured funding from Microsoft for them to do it."

Microsoft will then be credited with performing off-site restoration to benefit local communities.

Bugert says the county has been looking for ways to use natural methods for restoring more water in the Wenatchee Basin.

He thinks the Camas Meadow project with Microsoft is a good first step in that direction.

"They are looking at these opportunities with us, Bugert said.  "I think we're going to have a couple more of these coming up in due time, but this is our first one. We're pretty excited over how it's an innovative approach that we're looking into."

Microsoft in 2020 committed to achieving a net positive water footprint by 2030. It's an effort to put more water than it consumes back into the ecosystems where it operates.