The Gifford Pinchot National Forest continues to hold public meetings while working on the draft environmental impact statement for a long-term Spirit Lake outflow solution near Mount St. Helens.
The lake has the potential to affect people in the downstream communities within the Toutle, Cowlitz and Columbia River systems. Safely managing the water level of Spirit Lake is paramount, as over 50,000 people live downstream of the tunnel outflow, according to a news release from the forest service.
Identifying a solution that maintains safe water levels of Spirit Lake while addressing the resources and values present in the Mount St. Helens area are all part of this project.
A virtual public meeting is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on March 26. The meeting will cover relative risk and the multi-criteria decision-making analysis tool.
Register for the Microsoft Teams Webinar at https://tinyurl.com/3p6mvdv5.
The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be available for public commenting by early this summer.
For project details and information, visit https://shorturl.at/tt9zI.
