Lewis County may need to develop stronger language against filling in the flood plain, say members of a subcommittee overseeing the county's $1.1 million flood-control study.
Thurston County does not allow any filling in the flood plain in certain areas heavily damaged by flooding, Dale Rancour, county engineer, said Wednesday.
''That might be the kind of thing that's needed to ensure the federal executive order is being met,'' said Lynn Childers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service federal activities supervisor.
The executive order to which Childers was referring prevents any federal dollars being spent on projects that encourage development of areas designated within the 100-year flood plain, he said.
Lewis County officials have long hoped for federal funding to pay for a flood-control project estimated at $80 million. No project has been identified as the best alternative, however.
Glenn Grette, senior biologist for Pacific International Engineering of Edmonds, said the study's executive committee is familiar with the executive order. PIE is the county's consultant conducting the study.
County commissioners last month adopted stronger language in a flood hazard prevention ordinance, requiring fill material to have a ''beneficial'' purpose, but not prohibiting it outright. The ordinance targets speculative fill placed solely for the purpose of wooing potential development.
PIE officials have said a flood-control project would likely require several components to significantly reduce local flooding. These may include excavating 3.2 million cubic yards of soil along the Chehalis River, installing a rubber weir atop the Skookumchuck Dam, and creating a flood bypass under State Highway 6 to inundate fields east of Scheuber Road.
PIE produced a map for its December draft report showing a significantly reduced flood area from February 1996 levels, assuming all of the flood control projects worked as planned.
The subcommittee meeting Wednesday includes representatives from county, state, tribal, and federal agencies. Dubbed the ''alternatives subcommittee'' to a technical group organized by the Legislature, it meets to consider options the county's lead consultant, PIE, may not be considering, with special emphasis on environmental issues.
State lawmakers ordered the technical group to oversee work as a condition of $600,000 funding for the study.
Officials reiterated concerns that filling in the flood plain could hamper the effectiveness of any flood-control measures.
In one case, fill being placed near the Mellen Street bridge in Centralia for a future dental office would have to be removed eventually after the property is purchased for the flood-control project, officials said. Many members see the fill continuing as they drive to Chehalis meetings from Olympia and Seattle.
Members also discussed whether a flood-control project could improve fish-spawning habitat. Some members were skeptical it is possible at all, while others considered whether this would require significant maintenance.
''There may be some opportunities, but I'm not as optimistic about it,'' Childers said.
Among other issues, the group reviewed a briefly documented table of 17 options for reducing flooding on the Chehalis River. These include watershed management, buying flooded properties and relocating residents, river channel excavation, levees, a secondary bypass channel, Skookumchuck Dam modifications, dams, dikes, and more.
The group agreed to meet again at 10 a.m. Jan. 6.
It hopes to hear then from representatives of Centralia, Chehalis and Lewis County on how the local governments interpret federal flood plain maps, how much filling has taken place over the past 10 years, and obtain answers to other questions.
John Henderer covers county government and environmental issues for The Chronicle. He can be reached by e-mail at jhenderer@chronline.com or by calling 807-8239.
This page created and maintained by Chehalis River Council
Send comments or questions to the: Chehalis River Council