Proposed Dam Would Only Add to Financial Problems
J. Vander Stoep serves on the Governor’s Chehalis Basin Work Group and said he believes the $60 million request for the flood retention dam is enough. He said it marks a $10 million increase over last year, with the $10 million coming from the federal government requiring congressional approval, according to a recent article in The Chronicle.
According to the U.S. National Debt Clock we are approaching a $20 trillion debt. Washington state is about $70 billion in debt and Lewis County has been living on reserves for over five years with plans on spending $6.7 million more than we take in during the year of 2017.
The Satsop nuclear power plant was 75 percent complete in 1983 before the money ran out and work was abandoned. Bertha’s problems will cost Washington state an estimated $223 million in cost overruns, and further delay the Highway 99 opening — until early 2019.
Will the next headline be “Flood Control Dam above Pe Ell Breaks the Bank?” We have studied flooding issues in Lewis County since 1936. We now have an eight-person Governor’s Work Group to identify, explore and implement strategies to combat flooding and restore aquatic species in Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties.
The studies have been centered around the 2007 flood event. This was a 500-year event. Twenty inches of water fell out of the sky, at least two debris dams broke, almost at the same time, and sent an 18-foot wall of water down the Chehalis river.
Over 2,000 homes and businesses went under water within minutes. The personal property and livestock loss was devastating. Many homes were flooded by as much as 12 feet — without a doubt, the definition of a perfect storm.
If this $600 million-plus dam above Pe Ell gets funding, the water table will be reduced by only 3 feet at Mellen Street in Centralia, given the same conditions of the ’07 flood. Also to note, this will not be a power generation dam. The Lewis County Public Utility District has not attended a meeting since 2014 after its evaluation.
Keep in mind the Chehalis and the Quinault tribes will continue to stand in opposition and litigation will go on for years.
I hold little hope that the Pe Ell Lake will be the next recreation center for Lewis County. I view this as a liability rather than an asset. As we fall for this politically charged Hail Mary, Lewis County will still be under water in the next flood event.
Perhaps we can take some satisfaction that your house will only have 5 feet of water as opposed to 8 feet. Interstate 5 will only be closed for three days as opposed to four, and the study groups and attorneys will continue to prosper as we pay for the annual maintenance of this boondoggle dam.
It is time to get smart. As I pointed out earlier, our country, our state and our county have some severe financial problems. Our next generation can not afford yet one more dose of ignorance from this generation. This dam is not the answer.
Bob Bozarth
Chehalis
