Drops
Of
Water
January 2001
The first people to find errors in spelling or word structure receive a free map of the Chehalis watershed. Send us an e-mail note telling us about the error.
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Welcome
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January 2001 |
This newsletter appears monthly in 45,000 households throughout the watershed. Printing is done by The Chronicle, and distribution is by the Chronicle, the Olympia Daily Olympian, the Tenino Independent, the Rochester Sun News and the Aberdeen Daily World. This is an early edition available only to WWW users. Please send us your Drops of Water feedback.
The first people to find errors in spelling or word structure receive a free map of the Chehalis watershed. Send us an e-mail note telling us about the error. |
Special Thanks
Drops of Water is funded by organizations interested in the watershed.
These editions have been made possible by substantial grants from:
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Drops of Water is a publication of the Chehalis River Council. The CRC depends upon grants and awards from corporations and agencies of government to underwrite the production costs. Neither the CRC or any of the CRC volunteers receives any money, all funds go to production and distribution.
Since the June 2000 issue we have been caught up in and administrative nightmare which strangled the flow of funds and brought production to a halt.
We publicly owe a debt of gratitude to The Chronicle for allowing us to produce the April, May and June issues while they waited for funds which did not arrive until September.
We are happy to be back!
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By: James R. Freed, Extension ProfessorWSU
With all the interest in protecting streams and wetlands using buffer zones many landowners are seeing a loss of production area. The question that comes to mine for landowner and regulator is, "what can I do in these buffer zones that will make me money"?
If a buffer zone along a stream is viewed as a crop management area by both the landowner and the regulator and not as a no entry zone than many crops can be managed in these zones. Most of the crops that fit both the protection goals and the income goals revolve around native plants.
The crop that will produce the most benefits is Christmas/Holiday greenery. Christmas greenery is used to make wreaths, swags, sconces, table decorations and garland. This use of boughs from our native trees is one of the fast growing industries in the Pacific Northwest.
The trees that provide the raw materials for the Christmas greenery industry are; Grand fir, Noble fir, Douglas fir, Western White Pine, Western Red Cedar, Incense Cedar, Port Orford Cedar, Silver Fir and Rocky Mountain Juniper.
The harvest of boughs usually starts about year 10 and depending on the species can be continuous for 30 to 40 years. If managed correctly the trees will produce a new crop of boughs every 3 to 5 years. A young tree will only produce 10 to 15 pounds but a mature tree that has been pruned can produce many hundreds of pounds of boughs each harvest.
The benefit to the environment is you have native trees that are developing strong root systems that hold soil. The trees also provide shade to cool the stream and to keep down the grasses and non-native plants.
To make this system work the landowner must be able to enter the buffer zone. They also must have a management area that makes it economical to manage. It will be in the best interest of the landowners to determine what is the proper size of the buffer zone for their needs. A 50-foot wide zone will prove to small for producing larger amounts of boughs necessary to enter the wholesale market. But a 50-foot wide zone could provide the boughs necessary to supply a home-based wreath and garland business.
If a landowner wishes to develop a holiday greenery business they need to organize a business and management plan. The management plan should show how wide the buffer zone would be, the kinds of trees to be planted, number of trees to be planted, location and spacing of the trees. What will become obvious to both the land owner and the regulators is that for a successful holiday greenery business there will be a need for more trees to be planted than what is required by water protection laws.
A harvest schedule will need to be established. It must include harvest times, amounts removed and equipment to be used.
If the program is designed correctly the regulators looking for protection of the streams and improvement of the habitat will get more than they want, and land owner will have a crop that can be managed for additional sustainable income.
To make this system of management of protection zones work will require both the regulator and the landowner to look at these lands in a different way than they have in the past.
If a landowner can see direct benefits to them they will be more likely to implement conservation measures that are more effective and sustainable than any implemented because of strong regulations.
There is an old marketing say that support this concept of land management. THE BEST AGREEMENT IS ONE WHERE BOTH SIDES FEEL THEY HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE OTHER SIDE.
James R. Freed
Phone 360-902-1314
Fax 360-902-1781
E-mail: freedj@wsu.edu
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WaDOE
Citizen volunteers and students can now send their very own water data and restoration project information to an exciting new interactive data bank at the University of Washington. NatureMapping, and the Washington Departments of Ecology, and Fish and Wildlife, have partnered to bring you this Web site, located at http://www.fish.washington.edu/naturemapping/water/index.html
For years, most of the over 12,000 volunteer monitors in Washington (that we know of) have wanted a central, statewide place to send their data. Up to now, this grassroots movement has had no repository where their data can be stored, reviewed, and retrieved for possible use by agencies, scientists and nonprofits. Data was kept on personal computers or in file drawers. Now it can be safely stored in a neutral location and compared with past datasets and other locations. Groups can find each other by name of organization, water body, county, or watershed. And data entry is easy, fun, and quick.
But how can data collected in so many different ways be stored together in a central place? Doesn't it have to be standardized? Well, not necessarily. The key is in providing ways to tell how the data was collected and what methods were followed, to indicate to potential data users how credible it is. For every measurement a volunteer enters, they must select the method they used - and there's ample room for comments.
When you go to the Web site and click on "Register and View Sites," you can search the already-accumulating datasets by quality of data (Levels 1 through 4), Watershed Inventory Resource Area (WRIA), county, water body, or organization. Or you can zoom in on one of the green dots on the map.
Phase One is for restoration projects, aquatic habitat descriptions, and water quality and flow data. Stay tuned for additional modules.
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Dave Rountry, WaDOE
Last September in Drops of Water we told you about the results of a water quality study that discovered problem levels of fecal coliform bacteria in the Grays Harbor/Chehalis Basin watershed.
It's time to give you an update on the progress of an advisory workgroup who are developing a plan for cleanup of the watershed.
It will take voluntary help from many who live and work in the community to clean up the watershed for current and future generations. The advisory workgroup of 23 people represents many interests throughout the watershed.
The participants are listed at the end of this article.
Background of the Problem
The advisory workgroup are responding particularly to the most recent Ecology report of significant fecal coliform pollution in Grays Harbor and tributaries to the upper and lower harbor. The tributaries include the Chehalis River from Porter downstream, the Wishkah, Humptulips, Satsop, and the Elk and Johns rivers in the south harbor area.
The presence of fecal coliform bacteria in water threatens public health.
Health risks can be caused by exposure to the harmful bacteria through contact with the water while fishing, swimming or wading. In addition, consumption of shellfish contaminated with fecal coliform can cause health problems.
Shellfish growers in the outer harbor have had to deal with repeated temporary closures of harvest beds due to high levels of fecal coliform bacteria released in industrial wastewater. Ecology takes a strong interest in these kinds of industrial discharges because they violate permits, impair water quality and can lead to penalties. The shellfish closures caused by the discharges disrupt the commerce in the shellfish industry, impair the local image and local economy. Many residents believe that bacteria concentrations also degrade recreational and aesthetic values of the waters.
The good news is that industrial sources of this type of pollution are small, according to Ecology's study. The study indicates that 96 percent of fecal coliform in the Grays Harbor watershed is coming from "non-point" pollution. "Non-point" pollution comes mostly from people and their activities. It is pollution that is not necessarily discharged through a pipe or an outfall (called "point-source" pollution). Non-point pollution is sometimes invisible. It can result from failing pumping stations of sewage collection systems, failing home septic systems, flooding, animal-waste run-off from agricultural operations or areas used by wildlife.
All of this non-point pollution is carried downstream to Grays Harbor via eight tributaries, two urban drains and the mainstem Chehalis River.
Developing the Cleanup Plan
The advisory workgroup has met monthly since September, to understand more about why fecal coliform is a problem and to agree on the group purpose.
Going beyond knowing that they will produce a cleanup plan, they have been talking amongst themselves first about why watershed protection is important: to them and their neighbors, their kids and grandkids. Their work for now is getting group agreement on what clean water means to the economic prosperity, health, and quality-of-life in the watershed. The group's "statement of purpose" will be the cornerstone of their outreach-- to help people throughout the watershed relate to the value of clean water and work to protect it.
Before long, the workgroup will be recommending specific strategies for cleanup. To help the group avoid re-inventing the wheel, guest presenters from various organizations are helping the workgroup understand what work is underway or already planned to clean-up the watershed. A final cleanup plan will add support and momentum to important work already being done by citizens, industry, and government programs. Plus new strategies and partnerships will probably be recommended.
Sometime next spring 2001, the Department of Ecology expects to submit the group's cleanup plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their approval.
How you can get involved
Meetings of the Cleanup Plan Advisory Workgroup are open to anyone interested in helping to protect the health of the watershed. If you are interested in attending, contact one of the workgroup members listed below.
You can also contact the workgroup facilitator, Dave Rountry, Wa. Dept. of Ecology, PO Box 47775, Olympia, WA. 98504-7775. Phone 360-407-6276. E-Mail: drou461@ecy.wa.gov.
Chehalis/Grays Harbor Watershed Cleanup Planning Advisory Workgroup Members
Mark Ballo (oyster grower), Scott Brummer (Thurston Conservation District), Randy Cox (Weyerhaeuser), Brady Engvall (oyster grower), Jeff Nelson, Doug George Grays Harbor County Public Services), Melanie Kallas (Mason Conservation District), Ralph Lovelace (Business consultant/grant writing), Don Melvin WA Department of Health), Jim Nichols City of Chehalis), John Olson League of Women Voters), Dave Palmer Chehalis River Council), Sue Patnude Wa. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife), Wally Remund (Citizen, Centralia), Dean and Diane Schwickerath (Wildlife Forever of Grays Harbor/Grays Harbor Audubon Society), Brian (Shea City of Aberdeen), Mike McGinnis Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis), Armen Stepanian (Citizen, Ocean Shores), Gary M. Waltenburg (Citizen, Oakville), Ron Wisner (Grays Harbor Conservation District), Jeannie Yackley, (Lewis County Environmental Services), Craig Zora (WA Department of Natural Resources),
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By Teri King, Washington Sea Grant Program
It is embarrassing when your septic system alarm sounds just as you and your guests sit down to dinner. Worse yet is when your guest tells you the guest bathroom toilet won't flush.
Turning off the alarm will make the loud noise go away, but it has not cleared the system of the flood of water you and your guests have been sending to it. More then likely, your septic system is hydraulically overloaded and is failing. In essence, your system cannot handle all of the water being sent to it for treatment.
What is unfortunate, is that your septic system's biggest ally is time. The tank needs time for the wastes to separate and the drainfield and surrounding soils need time to properly treat and dispose of the effluent from the septic tank. By pushing too much water through the system none of the septic components are capable of doing their job properly. Short-circuiting the system in this way leads to failure. Failure can lead to illness and disease outbreak.
Reducing the amount of water you send to the system will help! In the kitchen, hold off running the dishwasher until the next day. Better yet, use disposable utensils, napkins, and dinnerware. If you think it is not "good" for the environment consider the potential impact if your septic system released improperly treated sewage into the environment.
Avoid using your garbage grinders at all times, but especially during a get together. The disposal uses a lot of water to grind the food waste that is adding to your water usage during the day. Composting would be the best alternative to grinding, but in a pinch, it would be best to put the materials in the garbage than down the drain.
Put a pitcher of water into the refrigerator before your guests arrive so that it will be cold. This will eliminate running the faucet when your guest asks for a glass of cold water.
If you are going to have a large party, you might consider renting a port-a-potty.
At the sink, install faucet aerators and replace your liquid soap with bars. The aerators will help your guests use less water while the bar soaps will keep the oils that make soap liquid out of your septic system. Consider using paper guest hand towels.
Make sure you do your laundry well ahead of the party and hold off on doing any more laundry until after your guests depart. If you can't avoid it, do only critical laundry, probably one load a day won't cause the system alarms to go off during the event.
Parking can be a problem when you have guests over. It is important to keep all vehicles off of your drainfield and reserve areas. Compaction can reduce the soil's capability of treating the effluent. Pipes underground can also be disconnected or damaged by the weight.
If it has been years since you last checked your septic system, have it inspected prior to your big party. It might be time to have it pumped.
These handy water conservation tips should provide enough of a water savings so that you wont have any embarrassing septic system moments while you are entertaining.
For more information about septic systems check out Septic Sense, Scents, and Cents, Three Insights into the Fearless flush at www.wsg.washington.edu.
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Nicole Ricketts
Coming soon to the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium Water Quality Workshops is training for the NatureMapping data bank entry.
A representative from the Washington State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife will give you a "hands on" look at how to enter your data into the public records of the NatureMapping Water Module. This will give you the opportunity to create your own personal site within our web data bank and create records for your research. If you would like to take a look at our web site data bank and/or view other projects please visit "http://www.fish.washington.edu/naturemapping and then click on "water" to get to the Water Module data entry bank.
For more information please contact: Nicole Ricketts at 360-902-8306 or Margaret Tudor at 360-902-8309.
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Annie Phillips, WaDOE
TEACHER GRANT PROGRAM OPENS FOR APPLICATIONS
Washington teachers who promote knowledge and stewardship of clean water can compete in the year 2001 for $750 "Magic Apple" grants from the Department of Ecology. The program uses funds from an Environmental Protection Agency section 319 grant. The grants will recognize past achievements while supporting new or continuing activities. Application forms are available from:
Annie Phillips
Department of Ecology
PO Box 47600
Olympia, WA 98504-7600
(360) 407-6408
aphi461@ecy.wa.gov
Eligibility: Any elementary, middle/junior high school, or high school full-time educator, parochial or private schools in Washington state. Educators who team-teach are eligible; team members will share the award.
Categories: We will award three grants in each of these categories:
Primary/Elementary schools
Junior high or middle schools
High schools - including vocational skill centers
Criteria: We are looking for teachers who demonstrate they will use this money most effectively for water quality education in next year's classes. Teacher must show specifically how they intend to use the money - i.e., equipment, supplies, field trips.
We will give priority consideration to teachers who:
1 - have developed and established innovative or outstanding methods or programs
2 - integrate environmental education into traditional subjects like language arts, social studies and math, as well as science
3 - foster and promote environmental education efforts by other teachers, citizens, or the local community, and
4 -emphasize a sense of stewardship for the watershed.
Because of legal technicalities, the grant money will go to the selected teachers' principals, rather than to the individual. However, the money must be spent entirely by the designated teacher for water quality education. The grant money cannot be used to supplant existing dollars.
The grant is based on past performance in water quality education, and must be used to support future water quality education. The principals will oversee the use of the grant to make sure it's fulfilling its intended purpose. We will require a brief report at the end of the 2001-2002 school year describing how the money was used, and a description of any aspects of the teacher's program that may be helpful to other teachers.
Applications: Nominations may be made by the teacher, students, other faculty or administrators.
Timing: Please return the completed form, narrative description, detailed budget, and two letters of recommendation, by March 1, 2001, to Annie Phillips. A committee of professional educators will judge the entries and announce the winners by April 15, 2001. Schools will receive checks in the name of winning teachers, and "Magic Apple" certificates will go to the teachers by May 15.
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Rebuild these scrambled word sentences. These are quotations from articles in this issue. Answers are on page 3.
1 -The Christmas/Holiday that greenery will the crop most benefits is produce
2 - Data or file drawers kept on personal computers was in .
3 - sometimes invisible pollution is Non-point.
4 - The existing cannot money to be supplant used grant dollars.
5 - Which what limiting factors finally brings me to a analysis is.
6 - Sometimes by observing the flooding answers in our state can be found what others have learned about .
7 - rains and winter snowmelt often cause heavy rivers to flood In Western Washington,.
8 - Project importance communication with the public, for this high reason, will rank on the scale.
9. If you have a port-a-potty, you might consider renting a are going to large party
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Mark Wenger, Columbia Pacific Resource Conservation & Development
Why LFA's?
Before explaining what a limiting factors analysis (LFA) is, I will start with some background as to why LFA's are being conducted in the first place. In recent years, stories about declining wild salmon stocks in many Washington rivers have been a regular topic in the news. The Columbia River and Puget Sound watersheds have gotten the most press, since chinook salmon in these waters, and chum salmon in Hood Canal have been listed as "Threatened" on the Endangered Species List. Often one industry or activity is singled out as the culprit for salmon declines, but in reality it has usually been a cumulative effect of many variables. Hydroelectric dams, timber roads and harvests, industrial and storm water effluents, agriculture practices, urban development, competition by hatchery fish, bird predation, and commercial and sport fishing harvests have all played a role in declining runs of wild salmon. Chehalis River Basin, wild stocks of salmon and steelhead have declined from historic levels, but have not reached critical levels to be listed. This is most likely due to the lack of impacts from major hydro-dams, and urban development that has impacted the Columbia River and Puget Sound watersheds.
With the impending listings of salmon in the Pacific Northwest, Washington Legislators established 3 new bills in 1998 and 1999 that addressed salmon and steelhead recovery efforts. In June 1998 the Watershed Planning Act (ESHB 2514) provided the guidelines for local governments to form planning units to assess water resources, and manage economic development, while minimizing adverse impacts to habitat that supports salmon. Within each watershed, or Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA), local planning units consist of counties, communities, tribes, water districts, industry representatives, and interested residents. State resource agencies play an advisory role to the local planning units. The planning unit for the Chehalis River Basin (WRIA 22 & 23) is the Chehalis Basin Partnership, with Grays Harbor County serving as the Lead Entity. The Salmon Recovery Act (ESHB 2496) also passed in June 1998, directed the Washington Conservation Commission to work with local planning units statewide to identify limiting factors, or habitat conditions that limit salmon production in a watershed. The driving force for LFA's is that they are needed by lead entities to develop a science based salmon recovery strategy, which in turn is required by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board and other funding sources, to justify funding habitat restoration and protection projects. In March 1999, ESHB 5595 established the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, and guidelines to fund salmon and steelhead recovery efforts statewide. Coordinated efforts of these 3 bills provide the framework to assess watershed conditions and develop science based salmon recovery projects. Which finally brings me to what a limiting factors analysis is.
What is a LFA?
The WA Conservation Commission is the lead agency in the limiting factor analysis (LFA) process being used statewide to identify conditions that limit freshwater habitat to fully sustain populations of salmon and steelhead in a watershed. The limiting factors analyses do not include hydroelectric, hatchery or harvest issues, which are being addressed in other forums. Limiting factors analyses are a summary of findings from existing federal, state, or tribal studies on the fisheries resource and habitat conditions of a watershed. Personal communications with habitat specialists or residents having knowledge of a watershed are also key sources of information. There are no new assessments being conducted in the LFA process, but one of the key outputs will be to identify data gaps which future assessments can address. The major chapters of each LFA are:
Watershed Description
Historic and Current Salmon and Steelhead Status
Past and Present Habitat Alterations
Existing Habitat Conditions related to: barriers to fish passage, sedimentation, riparian vegetation, floodplains, estuaries, water quality, water quantity, and lakes.
Data Needs and Recommendations
Who is doing our LFA?
Since mid-1999, Dr. Carol Smith of the Conservation Commission has been the lead biologist charged with completing the LFA's for the Chehalis River Basin, as well as sub-basins in the North Olympic Peninsula (WRIA 19), Quinault/Queets (WRIA 21), and Willapa Bay Basin (WRIA 24). Since the Chehalis River watershed is so large (2nd in size to the Columbia River), the Chehalis Basin Partnership contracted with Columbia Pacific Resource Conservation and Development to hire Mark Wenger in February 2000, to assist Carol in completing LFA's in the Lower Chehalis Basin (WRIA 22). A Technical Advisory Committee of area watershed specialists meets monthly to provide technical assistance to Carol and Mark, and to review each LFA. LFA's have been completed for the Upper Chehalis, South Fork Chehalis River, Skookumchuck River, Newaukum River, Small Tributaries in the Middle Chehalis River, Satsop River, Wynoochee River, Wishkah/Hoquiam/South Grays Harbor Rivers, Humptulips River, and Grays Harbor Estuary. The remaining LFA's for the middle Chehalis River mainstem, and the Black/Cloquallum Rivers will be completed in January 2001. Primary limiting factors identified have been fish passage barriers at culverts blocking access to historic habitat, excessive sedimentation from landslides triggered by past timber harvests or roads on steep slopes, low densities of instream large woody debris from past stream cleaning and riparian timber harvests, high summer water temperatures in stream reaches where streamside trees have been harvested, and reduction in floodplain function from agricultural and residential development.
What is next?
Beginning in January, the Technical Advisory Committee will prioritize the habitat problems by sub-basin, and assist the Chehalis Basin Partnership in developing a Salmon Recovery Strategy and Watershed Plan for the Chehalis River. If you have questions about the limiting factors analysis for the Chehalis River Basin, contact Carol Smith, 360-357-6986, or Mark Wenger, 360-533-4648. If you would like to participate in developing the Chehalis River Watershed Restoration Plan please contact Lee Hansmann, Grays Harbor County Lead Entity Coordinator, at 360-249-4222. If you want to be more informed and involved in decisions being made on the Chehalis River, the Chehalis Basin Partnership Meets monthly on the 4th Friday of each month (9a.m. - noon) at the Luck Eagle Casino to discuss watershed planning and salmon recovery efforts in the Chehalis River.
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Are you interested in flooding in western Washington? Do we know the causes, patterns and events which lead up to our frequent major flooding disasters?
Sometimes the answers can be found by observing what others have learned about flooding in our state. To help bring this information to you, the Chehalis River Council is sponsoring a free public seminar January 17, at W.F. West High School in Chehalis (7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.).
The Chehalis River Council, along with the Citizens Advisory Committee (Lewis County Flood District Zone Control Plan ) have arranged for Mr. Larry Kunzler to speak to the public about what he has learned and experienced about flooding in Skagit County.
Mr. Kunzler works as a Legal Investigator for the law firm of Hagens Berman in Seattle. For over 25 years he has worked as a private citizen on the Skagit River flood issue. He has served on the Skagit River Flood Control Advisory Committee; the State Department of Ecology Flood Plain Management Advisory Committee and the Washington State Legislative Joint Select Committee on Flood Damage Reduction. He currently serves as "historical advisor" to the Skagit County Flood Reduction Committee. He has authored a book entitled "Skagit River Valley--The Disaster Waiting to Happen".
Mr. Kunzler's presentation will address the historical geological and flood history of Skagit County as well as the ramifications of the Halverson vs. Skagit County flood litigation. The lessons learned from his research in Skagit County, and the impact the litigation will have on other Washington counties are appropriate for review as we face our local flooding issues.
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By Katarzyna Pierzga and Amy Manchester Harris
Who controls decisions on public policy choices related to flood control in Lewis County, Washington?
A master's thesis completed in late 1999 by Katarzyna Pierzga and Amy Manchester Harris, 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.
The thesis is available through your local library system, and is available on the Chehalis River Council Web site.
The research examines the influence of "pro-growth" advocates on local government policy decisions. In the paper, a "growth coalition" is described as a group of land-based interests whose income depends on increasingly intensive use of land. The authors evaluate the growth coalition influence on flood policy decisions made by the Lewis County Board of Commissioners and examine the implications of flood policy choices that are focused primarily on economic development goals.
After reviewing accounts of community and government response to flooding in the Chehalis River Valley throughout the 1990s, the researchers concluded that a local growth coalition -- and strong public alignment with values reflected in that agenda wield enough influence over Lewis County government to be the driving force behind current and future flood policy decisions.
The study of power and the influence of specific interest groups on public policy decisions is central to the American ideal of democracy. Developing effective public policy that achieves legitimacy through effectiveness and through responsiveness to public values and concerns required policy makers to possess a clear understanding of the impact of interest groups on policy decisions. Thorough knowledge of the way local power structures work is a useful tool for administrators particularly when the issue concerns environmental resource and land use policy.
The thesis concludes with policy recommendations aimed at broadening public participation in local government policy decision-making.
Public Perceptions of Disenfranchisement from Policy Decision-making in Lewis County
In many communities, an underlying sense of citizen disenfranchisement is a recurring theme in policy decisions regarding environmental and land use issues. Citizens who feel disenfranchised may perceive that government has already made a decision about an issue without first hearing public input. 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. 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. 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?
Flooding on the Chehalis River
In Western Washington, heavy winter rains and snowmelt often cause rivers to flood. 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 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. 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 chargebacks; 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.
Interest Groups in the Chehalis River Flood Policy Issue
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. 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.
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. 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. 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. These consultant 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.
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SEATTLE-The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will place heavy emphasis on public outreach on two current projects affecting the southwest region of the state. It is well known that the upper Chehalis River Basin can be a dramatically impacted flood area during the rainy season-second only to the Skagit River Valley. The cities of Centralia and Chehalis have been subject to repeated public property damage and occasional closure of I-5, critical local highways and other roads at times. It is apparent that something long term needs to be done to remedy the annually recurring situation, and that is exactly what the Corps will be looking at in their investigation.
Two projects-The Centralia Flood Damage Reduction Project and the Chehalis River Basin Project-are currently underway in the region. Both projects, despite incredibly similar names, will address individually the concerns of flood control and environmental restoration in separate areas of the basin.
The Centralia Flood Damage Reduction Project, as it's name implies, will focus on providing flood damage protection to the lower Skookumchuck River and the greater Centralia-Chehalis area. This project has been ongoing for the past two years and will continue for approximately four years.
The Chehalis River Basin Study is an investigation into the needs of the entire Chehalis River basin, addressing degraded environmental needs, opportunities for enhanced environmental habitat, and localizing flood and erosion problems. Current schedule is for the completion of a brief reconnaissance phase in December. Results of the reconnaissance study will determine whether the Corps should pursue a more comprehensive investigation that could propose several projects within the basin.
The emphasis on public information dissemination builds around the obvious confusion over project names and activities. Project communication with the public, for this reason, will rank high on the importance scale.
The communication plan for the project includes several avenues for public comment and inquiry. A web site, newsletter, and frequent public meetings are in development. In the meantime, contact: Dennis Fischer, Project Manager for Centralia Flood Damage Reduction, 207-764-3555; Lori Morris, Project Manager Chehalis River Basin Study, 206-764-3604, and Chris Runner, Environmental Coordinator for both studies, at 206-764-3316.
Contact: Leslie Kaye, 206-764-3751
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1 -The crop that will produce the most benefits is Christmas/Holiday greenery
2 - Data was kept on personal computers or in file drawers.
3 - Non-point pollution is sometimes invisible.
4 - The grant money cannot be used to supplant existing dollars.
5 - Which finally brings me to what a limiting factors analysis is.
6 - Sometimes the answers can be found by observing what others have learned about flooding in our state.
7 - In Western Washington, heavy winter rains and snowmelt often cause rivers to flood.
8 - Project communication with the public, for this reason, will rank high on the importance scale.
9 - If you are going to have a large party, you might consider renting a port-a-potty
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Send comments or questions to the: Chehalis River Council
