Chehalis River Council
417 No. Pearl Street
Centralia, WA 98579
Contact Information: Margaret Rader, 360.273.6697; holmfarm@aol.com
The Chehalis River Council is sponsoring a public workshop to discuss pollution in the Chehalis River and tributaries in the greater Centralia/Chehalis area. The workshop, titled "How bad is it anyhow?" is scheduled for Thursday March 11, 7:00 to 8:30 pm, at the Carpenters' Building, 417 North Pearl Street in Centralia.
Recently the state Department of Ecology added 31 new stream segments to its list of polluted waters in the upper Chehalis Basin. Ecology also has released a draft report describing fecal coliform bacteria levels in the upper Chehalis, with 27 mainstream river segments and tributaries identified for pollution reduction goals. The list of polluted streams, called the 2002/2004 Assessment or the 303(d) list, and the draft report, called the Upper Chehalis River Fecal Coliform Bacteria TMDL, both have public comment periods that close March 15th.
"We knew there were problems with the river, especially in the Chehalis/Centralia reach, but we were surprised at the extent of new listings," explained Margaret Rader, chair of the Chehalis River Council. "We think citizens should have an opportunity to ask questions about how serious the pollution is, what these listings mean for landowners along these streams, and what can be done to clean up pollution in the Basin."
Representatives from the Department of Ecology and other agencies such as the Lewis County Conservation District have been invited to explain the implications of the listings and actions that citizens can take to reduce pollution.
For more information, call the Chehalis River Council at 360.807.0764.
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