This illustration shows what the proposed Chehalis River dam near Pe Ell will look like under normal conditions, allowing the river to run without impediment.
The Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority on Thursday reaffirmed its support for a basinwide solution to flooding and aquatic species restoration with a resolution approved by the body and signed by Chair Vickie Raines and Vice Chair Edna Fund.
The move comes after governments throughout the basin — including Lewis County, Grays Harbor County, Aberdeen, Cosmopolis, Montesano, Oakville, Bucoda, Centralia, Chehalis, Napavine, Pe Ell and others — approved similar resolutions last year.
The move advances the Flood Authority’s support of the Chehalis Basin Strategy, a broad and wide-ranging plan aimed at reducing catastrophic flooding and restoring aquatic species that includes a dam on the upper reaches of the Chehalis River and millions of dollars for projects to include aquatic species habitat.
The work is being spearheaded by the Office of the Chehalis Basin in addition to the Flood Authority, the Chehalis Basin Board and the Chehalis Basin Flood Control Zone District.
“The Flood Authority continues to foresee a future through the Chehalis Basin process where our families and communities are protected from the worst of the periodic catastrophic floods that hit our basin and where aggressive habitat restoration projects have turned a declining fishery into a vibrant fishery,” the resolution reads in part.
In addition to the dam, which would allow the river to flow freely except when major flooding is imminent, the plan also includes the Aberdeen-Hoquiam North Shore Levee and the western segment of the North Shore Levee, along with local fish and flood projects.
The vote of support comes in the year following separate environmental reviews by the state and federal governments. The state review highlighted potential impacts to fish runs, drawing criticism from the Chehalis and Quinalt tribes at the time; however, according to the resolution, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “reviewed 61 different alternatives for reducing catastrophic flood damage and found that only those alternatives that included a proposed water retention facility met the objective of flood damage reduction to a level sufficient to proceed.”
Supporters of the dam also point to state studies that found that such a structure could hold back 65,000 acre-feet of water during catastrophic flooding and save thousands of structures downstream from inundation.
“The Washington State Department of Ecology’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement, as well the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Draft Environmental Impact Statement, show the District’s proposed Chehalis River Basin Flood Damage Reduction Project delivering significant reductions in catastrophic levels of flooding for Basin communities and providing substantial reductions in impact and flood inundation for thousands of structures, including homes, schools, churches, small businesses, state highways and I-5, provided adverse impacts, however negligible, are acceptably mitigated,” according to the Flood Authority’s resolution.
The Chehalis Basin Board will share its recommendations for the basin with Gov. Jay Inslee, the state Legislature and Congress by the end of March.
A pair of meetings focused on the Chehalis Basin Strategy have been scheduled for Feb. 17 and March 9. Those interested can register for the first meeting at https://bit.ly/2MgVqiy.
