A new pump system at the Chehalis-Centralia Airport proved its worth in January when significant snow and rainfall resulted in flooding in the Chehalis Valley, putting hundreds of local jobs at risk.
As rain continued to fall and flood waters continued to rise, the pump system continued to remove rainwater from airport land, pumping out millions of gallons by the time flooding ended.
The new system, which was constructed over the course of 2017, was paid for by the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority. The improved pumping station contains two electric pumps, each capable of removing 10,000 gallons of water per minute. The two pumps trade off when working, with one serving as a primary pump and the other as a backup at any given time.
The new pumping system replaced a World War II-era system built in 1942 when the airport was being used for military purposes. The old pump system was below the airport levee and was submerged underwater in the 2007 flood, rendering the pump ineffective.
After the old pump’s failure, it became clear that a new pumping system was needed.
The new pump system rises out of Airport Lake, which forms the bottom of the airport area basin and grows significantly when it floods, and above the airport levee, preventing the possibility of submersion in the case of a 2007 level flood.
The pump also has a dedicated back-up generator that allows the system to continue removing water from Airport Lake even when electricity goes out in the surrounding area. These additions to the new pumping system helped the airport survive the January flooding event that Airport Operations Coordinator Brandon Rakes called “the largest test of the new system” since it was installed.
Because of geography, the airport is naturally predisposed to flood risk.
Sitting in a dip in the ground, the airport is shaped similarly to a bowl, predisposing the area to rapid flooding. The airport is also shaped so that the ground slopes down northwards toward Airport Lake which forms the lowest point on airport property. As a result, with the assistance of a ditch that helps funnel water more easily from south to north along the levee, water on airport land naturally flows in the direction of Airport Lake and the pumping system.
Because of the natural flow of water toward Airport Lake, and the pump system’s elevated position above the lake, the pump is able to effectively remove water from the airport.
Perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of the new pumping system’s success were the businesses and jobs it helped protect.
According to data provided by the airport, there are a total of 1,127 jobs on airport land, which includes businesses like Walmart, Home Depot and Taco Bell who are tenants of the airport. An additional 531 jobs outside of airport land are attributable to the presence of those businesses as well.
The airport is financially self-sustaining and doesn’t rely on support from the state or local government. The business conducted on airport land produces a significant amount of tax revenue for the state and local government, with around $1.2 million worth of tax revenue going to local governments in the area.
