December brings unwelcome memories in this swath of Southwest Washington.
Seven years ago, the Chehalis River Basin swelled with devastating severity, inundating homes, destroying property and forever changing the lives of hundreds who staked their claims along the fussy waterway.
In the wake of the disaster, local leaders slowly but surely united under a single banner, declaring that not only must a solution to flooding be sought, but that it include protection for the entire basin, not just the Interstate 5 corridor.
Several members of the Chehalis City Council remember those times well.
They recall the opposition to a plan for levees to protect only the freeway, calls for collective support from all leaders amid a history of infighting and self-interest and early indicators that a water retention structure could be the solution that had escaped local leaders for decades.
They’d likely admit they never thought a major project would come to fruition. Yet, seven years later, that time appears to be drawing closer than ever.
The Chehalis City Council was briefed on a recommendation drafted by the Chehalis Work Group and endorsed by Gov. Jay Inslee during its regular meeting Monday night.
It was a presentation provided by another man who emerged as a driver of progress seven years ago, Chehalis attorney J. Vander Stoep, a member of the Flood Authority and the Work Group.
The comprehensive plan includes a dam in the upper reaches of the Chehalis River and massive fish habitat restoration.
It’s a proposal that pursues the best of conservation and flood protection, bringing together two ideological sides that in the past may have argued until any shred of hope for a solution evaporated completely.
As councilors noted, it’s the farthest leaders have ever gone since 1933 when the first proposals were made. That was nearly 1,000 studies ago.
Most importantly, most of our local leaders never compromised their belief that any project must protect the entire basin, from the headwaters to the harbor.
“It’s going to benefit the entire basin, which is what we’ve been pushing for,” Councilor Terry Harris said. “We’ve never been trying to put Chehalis or Lewis County first. We wanted a holistic approach and this is by far the best news we’ve had in a long, long time.”
There’s still work to be done, specifically in the form of funding for the proposal from the legislature. State Rep. Richard DeBolt is working toward that end on a $4 billion bill with considerations for water projects throughout the state.
In the meantime, we thank our leaders for remaining united and focused on flood protection for all, and encourage legislators to reward unity and unprecedented progress with the funding it deserves.
