Clean Water Services’ Natural System Enhancement & Stewardship (NSES) program manages multiple capital portfolios for riparian, stream, and floodplain restoration. In the sanitary CIP, NSES projects account for 4.3% of FY 2026‑27 sanitary CIP and 3.6% of the five‑year plan, including annual partnership projects (e.g., Collaborative Regional Restoration with Metro, Local Restoration Partnerships with multiple cities and NGOs, Tualatin River Refuge restoration) and discrete projects like Butternut Creek restoration and a Vegetation Material Handling Facility. The SWM CIP adds another layer with Vegetated Corridor Enhancement Fund (VCEF), subbasin strategies, and stormwater corridor projects. Across FY 2027–2031, natural systems projects in Fund 112 total over $21M. These initiatives frequently involve partner agencies and are often eligible for grants; no primary ecological design or construction vendors are identified. This creates a steady stream of opportunities for ecological consultants, design‑build restoration teams, and monitoring firms to deliver design, construction, planting, invasive control, and long‑term stewardship services.

Many projects are umbrellas labeled as partnerships; typical delivery blends internal coordination, ...