Chehalis River Basin Land Trust to Host State of the Watershed Presentation

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On Sept. 21, the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust will host the final chapter of its Learnings from the Chehalis series with an event that has been billed “State of the Watershed — A Report Card for the Chehalis River.”

The presentation will be held at Swede Hall in Rochester and will include a panel of speakers familiar with the Chehalis River system. The panel will include Scott Collyard, Kirsten Harma and Kahle Jennings.

Collyard, an employee for the Washington State Department of Ecology, will discuss water quality in the Chehalis River as it relates to both people and fish, including efforts to improve water quality and how those efforts have changed over time.

Harma, of the Chehalis Basin Lead Entity, will delve into various voluntary and collaborative efforts intended to restore fish habitat.

Jennings, a representative of both the Chehalis Basin Partnership and the city of Centralia, will explain how Centralia has attempted to protect “water for people” by providing insight on water rights and a water balance model.



“The Chehalis Basin Partnership formed to bring people together to find ways to reach shared goals for the Chehalis River Watershed,” noted Harma in an email. “Since that time, numerous efforts have been taking place throughout the Chehalis River Basin to improve water quality, quantity and habitat. How have we done? Have things gotten better or have they gotten worse?”

The presentation, slated to run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., is free and open to the public. Audience members are encouraged to come prepared with questions. Additional information on the Learnings from the Chehalis educational series can be found online at chehalislandtrust.org/LfromtheC.

Swede Hall is located at 8543 Albany St. SW, Rochester.