The second phase of the China Creek flood water storage and fish habitat improvement project is well underway along North Gold Street in Centralia.
The project is the second in a series to reduce creek flooding impacts in downtown Centralia and improve fish passage.
Work started June 7 on the project, located near the intersection of Roswell Road and Gold Street.
City Public Works Director Kim Ashmore said the contractor, Glacier Environmental Services, has been busy installing a pump bypass for the creek and excavating brush and trees that will later be deposited in the creek to develop colder fish habitats.
A bulk of the project revolves around removing material and creating a graded storage pond that will serve as an overflow reservoir during the flood season.
A fish culvert will also be installed and the city plans on building out a nearby walkway for pedestrians.
“Phase 1 was successful and I think Phase 2 will be complementary to that,” Ashmore said of the project’s ability to slow nearby flooding, which regularly inundates homes and businesses in the winter months.
The city council approved $2.91 million in funding for the project during an April 27 meeting. Roughly $2.3 million of that funding was covered by the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority by way of the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, and Ashmore said the city plans on going back for additional funding to finish the project.
The city council most recently, at last Tuesday night’s meeting, approved a $3,826.90 purchase to buy a 10-foot diameter culvert it’ll use for improved fish passage. The culvert's purchase was not originally in the contract, but the city bought it off a local resident and found savings in the process.
China Creek has been the subject of substantial urban flooding and disruption to downtown Centralia during heavy storms in past years. Phase 1 focused on the land along Little Hanaford Road.
Ashmore said the goal of these projects is to “keep the flood level lower and (so they) hopefully don’t impact residents or businesses along the creek.”
“These two projects … are both meant to store water during heavy rain events, and so if we can store the water and have it not going down directly to China Creek, it doesn’t flood as many businesses,” he said.
The city is considering a third project potentially to help mitigate nearby flooding, Ashmore said. Roswell Road sees consistent flooding during the wet season. Though the roadway is outside city limits and within the county’s purview, Ashmore said there have been discussions with Lewis County about creating a larger retention area for the nearby creek.
