Lewis County is reducing the fees for a range of services it offers in the wake of flooding in hopes of reducing the cost to address flood damage.
The Lewis County Department of Emergency Management announced on Monday that the county would reduce the fees for three county services for people impacted by recent flooding. According to the release, only individuals directly affected by flooding will qualify for reduced fees and should start by calling the county's flood damage reporting hotline at 360-740-2600.
The county is waiving the usual $65 fee associated with testing water for chloroform bacteria at the county’s water testing lab for residents impacted by flooding in the Randle and Packwood area. The service will be available through Wednesday, Jan. 14. In addition to the hotline, residents can call the Lewis County Department of Public Health and Social Services directly at 360-740-1223.
“Flooding has substantially increased the risk for bacterial contamination in the Randle and Packwood areas, and it’s imperative affected individuals have their drinking water tested,” reads the announcement from the county.
The county is also waiving or reducing three fees for inspections of structures with “non-substantial flood damage.”
Inspections meant to read moisture levels in insulation and sheetrock inspection will be reduced to $25 through the end of next month, Saturday, Jan. 31. The normal $50 administrative fee and $10 technology fee will be waived entirely for the same time period.
According to the county, residents should check with the Lewis County Department of Community Development before doing any repairs beyond simple cleaning and disposing of damaged content such as carpet, drywall, wall board and insulation.
Finally, the disposal fees for discarding flood-damaged materials will be entirely waived through the end of February. By calling the damage hotline, county residents can receive a county voucher that will allow them to bring flood damaged materials to either the county’s Centralia or Morton transfer stations or a temporary facility in Packwood located at the Old Hampton Mill.
