Flood victims urge building moratorium

By Jennifer Olson, The Olympian, 5/5/99

GROUP FORMED: Residents join forces to urge a quick fix.

THURSTON COUNTY The floodwaters have receded, but frustrations continue to rise.

Armed with 800 signatures, a newly formed citizens' group is petitioning Thurston County (,commissioners to adopt a temporary building moratorium for the area south of Tumwater until a fix for groundwater flooding can found.

Meanwhile, county officials are evaluating engineering solutions that could be in place by this fall to move groundwater away from homes.

After wading through murky groundwater that has surrounded their homes two of the past three years, area property owners hope officials can finally come up with solutions. But many are skeptical about any fixes being in place before this winter.

Rhonda Farrar, who lives east of Interstate 5 near 93rd Avenue Southwest, said she won't remove the ring of sandbags around her home.

"We're hoping for a solution, but we'll believe it when we see it," Farrar said.

On Monday, members of the South Tumwater Hickman/Hopkins Action Committee presented the commissioners with a petition calling for the temporary building moratorium.

Commissioners are trying to decide between a temporary moratorium and tough building regulations.

County officials Tuesday also were scrambling to work out the details of some short-term solutions. But before they can sign off on a plan, they must come up with financing, determine environmental impacts and figure out how others in the area would be affected.

And they must be fairly sure it will work.

"More importantly," said Mark Cook, who heads the county stormwater program, "the clock continues to run."

Farrar and other residents must simply wait and see.

"If money wasn't an issue, we'd move out," Farrar said. "But money is an issue. Everything we have is tied up in this house."

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