Flood Policy on the Chehalis River in Lewis County, Washington: Who Makes the Decisions?

A master's thesis completed in late 1999 by two students in the Master of Public Administration program at The Evergreen State College in Olympia attempts to address this question using extensive personal interviews, a mail survey and other research techniques.

In many communities, an underlying sense of citizen disenfranchisement is a recurring theme in policy decisions regarding environmental and land use issues. Those who oppose land use policies proposed by local government often complain that while they are invited to offer comment through letters and public hearings, they really have little or no influence over the outcome of a decision. Citizens who feel disenfranchised may perceive that government has already made a decision about an issue without first hearing public input. They may perceive that government policy decisions are influenced largely by some members of the community who are seen as possessing greater power and influence than the average citizen. In other words, public comment on policy decisions is sought in order to satisfy legal requirements, but other factors -- such as the growth agenda and individual political power -- have a greater influence on policy decisions. The business owners, land owners and developers who generally populate the pro-growth side of a land use policy question may be perceived by individual citizens, environmentalists and others as "insiders" who have greater power to influence policy decisions.

Research has shown that flood plain management policy is most effective when it focuses on regulating land use in order to reduce flood risk and reduce the impact of development on flood levels. In the case of large-scale flood problems such as that in Lewis County, regulating land use is preferable to engineering solutions whenever feasible. If Lewis County flood policy is driven by short-term economic gain, county government may be ignoring the lessons of contemporary flooding across the nation. What are the short- and long-term implications of allowing the growth agenda to drive flood policy decisions? And if identifying and involving interest groups with valid concerns may improve policy effectiveness and legitimacy, what steps can local government in Lewis County or anywhere in the United States -- take to achieve this goal?

In Western Washington, heavy winter rains and snowmelt often cause rivers to flood. Precipitation in the Chehalis River watershed ranges from 200 inches per year at higher elevations on the southwest slope of the Olympic Mountains to about 45 inches per year in the Chehalis River Valley in Lewis and Thurston counties. The watershed includes not only Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties, through which the mainstem Chehalis flows, but also parts of Pacific, Cowlitz, Mason, Wahkiakum and Jefferson counties, all of which have streams and rivers that are tributaries of the mainstem Chehalis River.

Current land use patterns also contribute to the problem of flooding: agricultural and logging practices may cause river siltation; removal of trees and brush along river banks may cause erosion; the paving of adjacent land reduces the land's capacity to absorb water; and building construction and the use of fill to raise foundations displaces flood water and increases flood height. In the Chehalis watershed, most land is privately owned, with the exception of upper Chehalis forest land managed by the U.S. Forest Service and state-owned forest land in Capitol State Forest. In addition to housing and industrial areas, which are centered mostly in Chehalis and Centralia, land use activities include livestock operations and crop production in the fertile alluvial floodplain and timber production in the higher elevations. The population of the watershed continues to grow, concentrated mostly along Interstate 5 in southern Thurston County, north of Chehalis.

Federally declared flood crises in Lewis County between 1990 and 1997 cost state and federal taxpayers an estimated $27,917,297 in disaster relief provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state Emergency Management Division and the federal Flood Control Account Assistance Program administered by the state Department of Ecology. These expenditures include FEMA funds for repair and restoration of damaged facilities; FEMA funds for long-term mitigation to protect citizens and property from future flood hazards; FEMA National Flood Insurance Program funds to compensate insured parties for damages sustained; and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department funds for disaster recovery projects through the Community Development Block Grant program. The February 1996 flood disaster alone cost $15,606,092 in state and federal emergency services money.

The above figures do not include other costs, such as agency staff overtime; emergency response staff time; special equipment such as sandbags; highway and road repairs; Red Cross charge-backs; loss of insured and uninsured personal property and livestock; loss of income; welfare and unemployment insurance payments; health and social impacts; environmental impacts and other costs. In an interview completed as part of this project, Lewis County Commissioner Richard Graham estimated the economic disruption caused by the February 1996 flood cost the Washington state economy some $80 million.

Wintertime flooding is a challenging problem that affects thousands of people and hundreds of businesses in the Chehalis River Valley. While flood damage is limited to land in the three Western Washington counties through which most of the river flows, the Chehalis River watershed extends to include eight counties, comprising the largest watershed contained within the state's borders. (The Columbia River watershed, which is much larger, extends into neighboring Northwest states and Canada.) Because of its large size, land use patterns throughout the watershed affect the extent of flooding downstream.

Flooding affects not only individuals and businesses, but also federal, state, local and tribal governments. Local governments that must address Chehalis River flooding problems include Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties, as well as the municipal governments of towns and cities along the river and within its floodplain, most notably the Lewis County "twin cities" of Centralia and Chehalis. The government and people of the Chehalis Indian Tribe have a strong investment in the issue, as the tribe's reservation lands are located in Grays Harbor County downstream of Centralia and Chehalis. Their concerns include the health of Chehalis River fish runs, emergency vehicle and school bus access for the tribe and the impact of flooding on Indian homes and land. The Chehalis Tribe is also concerned about customer access to its casino, a mainstay of the reservation economy located on a road that becomes impassable during floods. Oyster growers and fishers who make their living in the lower Chehalis or at the mouth of the river in Grays Harbor County -- including members of the Quinault Indian Tribe -- also are affected by flooding as well as upstream land use and flood policy.

State agencies such as the Washington Department of Ecology and the Washington Department of Natural Resources are stakeholders in flood policy decisions because of their regulatory responsibility for environmental preservation, wildlife, water quality, water supply and fish and forest resource issues. The state Emergency Management Division is involved through disaster relief programs that provide assistance to those affected by flooding.

Federal agencies also have a stake in issues related to flooding and management of the river environment. For example, the National Marine Fisheries Service is interested in the river because of the expected summer 1999 Endangered Species Act listing of Chehalis River cutthroat trout. When flood waters rise, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is called upon to provide disaster relief and low-interest loans for those who suffer flood damage. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains some small-scale projects along the river, and recently accepted the lead role in the proposed flood control project initiated by Lewis County. And after raging flood waters interrupted north-south traffic on Interstate 5 near Centralia in the epic flood of February 1996, the Federal Highway Administration, through the state Department of Transportation, proposed raising the highway bridge over the river to avoid repeated interruption of travel and interstate commerce. The 1996 Chehalis River flood disaster declared a federal emergency was so dramatic and had such far-reaching impact as to make news reports across the nation.

At the state and federal level, legislators whose districts include those affected by Chehalis River flooding are also involved in the issue.

When local government seeks solutions to the flood issue, it must often hire consultants to perform research and planning work that is beyond the training or resources of its staff to complete. Lewis County has contracted with two Washington consulting firms to work on this project: Pharos Corporation and Pacific International Engineering, both based in Edmonds. These firms also have an interest in Chehalis River flood control because of the potential for business income.

Finally, taxpayers in Lewis County and across the nation who must foot the bill for disaster cleanup and relief also represent a group with significant interest in the Chehalis River flood issue.