John Henderer, The Chronicle, 7/31/97
Flood control involves give and take, and a lot of unhappy people.
That was the message of compromise, of hard choices and delicate negotiations given to the 15-member citizens advisory committee to the newly formed Lewis County Flood Control Zone District Wednesday, during the group's first official meeting.
Two guest speakers from Skagit and Snohomish counties explained their "realistic" approaches have involved lowering some dikes and raising others. They skewered the notion that dikes and dredging can cure flooding completely.
"We figure if we do our job right as flood managers, we can get everybody equally unhappy in a flood event," said Sky Miller, Snohomish County Public Works civil engineer.
Miller was only partially joking.
His county officials have agreed to move roads from flood-prone areas, to allow some dikes to be topped during a flood and to quit repairing some roads or levies when the cost exceeds the value of property protected.
"Our biggest problem is lack of understanding with dredging," said David Brookings, Skagit County surface water utility manager. "The mindset is when they dredge the Skagit (River), it never floods. But that's not the case.
"We've come to the conclusion that we cannot afford 100-year flood protection for the entire county. Tough decisions are out there and they've got to be made - otherwise we're all gonna get wet."
The presentations by Miller and Brookings alarmed some of the advisory committee members.
Randle farmer and committee member Vic Khvoroff loudly objected to Brookings' solution of lowering some dikes and raising others, depending on river flows and overall potential benefits.
"Did I miss something? You're talking about lowering your levies?" Khvoroff asked.
"That's correct," Brookings answered, explaining that it may be appropriate in some cases and that dredging is "cost prohibitive" and "not a long-term fix."
The discussion served as a preview of issues the committee will encounter in the months and years ahead.
The group will serve as an advisory board to the county Board of Commissioners (Glenn Aldrich, Richard Graham and Russ Wigley).
The committee has a task similar to groups that advise commissioners on solid waste, planning and other issues. Its recommendations are advisory, not binding.
Commissioners selected committee members from 65 applicants after rejecting a petition in March to authorize a public vote to form a flood-control district for the Chehalis River basin. Commissioners also chose two five-member committees for subzones in the Chehalis basin and Cowlitz River basin.
By rejecting the Flood Action Council's request and forming a countywide flood control zone district, the commissioners retained control over flooding solutions for the county. Any proposed solution, however, will likely require a public vote similar to a school bond among the citizens living in the area that would benefit from it. Consultants to the county voiced optimism they will be able to obtain grants to pay for flood control measures.
Later in the meeting, Harry Hosey, manager of the Edmonds-based Pacific International Engineering, explained the hydrology model his firm is creating for the Chehalis River basin, under a contract with Lewis County not to exceed $455,000.
Hosey expressed confidence for the capabilities of the model to answer questions regarding the effectiveness of various flood-control proposals.
Commissioners seemed pleased with the 3ð-hour initial meeting and thanked those who came for agreeing to serve.
"We didn't want a rubber-stamp-type committee and I think we sure didn't get one," Wigley said.
The committee opted not to choose a chairperson Wednesday but to delay the decision until at least its next meeting. No date was set for the next meeting.
No representatives from the Chehalis Indian Tribe or Cowlitz Indian Tribe attended. Commissioners left two seats on the committee for the tribes, but Commissioner Aldrich said neither tribe responded to a written invitation.
In addition, Aldrich said the county is still seeking five citizens for a subzone committee to the Nisqually River basin.