Staff and members of the Chehalis River Flood Basin Control Zone District tour the site of the proposed dam on the Chehalis River near Pe Ell in late 2017.
The U.S Army Corps of Engineers has opened the public comment period that allows individuals to voice their opinions on the agency’s plans to enact an agreement that would help speed up permit applications for a proposed dam near Pe Ell.
The Seattle division of the Army Corps is looking at accepting and spending funds from the Chehalis River Basin Flood Control Zone District, the project sponsor for the proposed Chehalis River dam. The money would be spent primarily on the salaries and overhead of project managers and technical specialists who would perform permit processing activities for the district, according to a public notice from the Army Corps.
The district’s board of supervisors consists of Lewis County Commissioners Edna Fund, Gary Stamper and Bobby Jackson, but operates as its own governing agency.
The proposed Water Resources Reform and Development Act agreement allows the Corps “to provide timely review of public projects,” according to the public notice. “… The result for participants should be efficient permit processing for public projects, increased predictability in permit processing time, and as appropriate, new programmatic tools.”
Measures are in place to ensure the money does not impact impartial decision-making, according to the Corps. The agreement is also not expected to negatively impact or increase the waiting time for permit evaluations that are not subsidized by the money.
Fund said on Friday that the board is looking at starting the permit process for an expandable version of a dam. It’s one of three possible options for the dam. The expandable version would include a flood retention only dam that would hold water only during flood events, but would be built on larger foundation to support future expansions, if needed.
The estimated cost of the first phase of construction is between $339 million and $484 million with the estimated cost of the expansion being between $179 million and $266 million. According to previous coverage by The Chronicle, the money for the agreement with the Army Corps would come from the flood control zone district through state funding. Comments will be made part of the record and will be considered prior to making a decision. To submit a comment, email it to jacalen.m.printz@usace.army.mil prior to the Nov. 3 deadline. Comments can also be mailed to Jacalen Printz, regulatory branch, at P.O. Box 3755, Seattle WA, 98124. For more information contact Printz by email or call 206-764-6901. The special public notice can be viewed online at http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Regulatory/Public-Notices/.
