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The Lewis County Board of Commissioners announced Friday, May 2, the upcoming release of new floodplain maps for the Packwood area.
The new 100-year floodplain maps studying the Cowlitz River in the Packwood area will be available to the public online starting May 9. The new maps, which were created by consultant Watershed Science and Engineering of Seattle using modern technology and satellite imagery, will replace the current documents commissioned in 1981.
The update is expected to improve the accuracy of flooding predictions and provide a number of other benefits, such as better flood risk management, more accurate reflection of recent flood events and the elimination of some unnecessary regulations.
The maps will also provide more accurate information, especially with concern to the altered course of the Muddy Fork of the Cowlitz River resulting from the 2006 flood.
The process of updating floodplain maps for the Packwood area has been ongoing for more than four years. In 2021, the Lewis County Board of Commissioners approved the amended maps that lifted the central part of Packwood and some surrounding areas out of the designated floodplain.
The maps were then submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for final approval. The effort was largely inspired by the lack of flood damage to downtown areas of Packwood despite many major floods in recent decades.
During past county meetings, locals pointed out that maps showing Packwood within the floodplain despite a lack of flood damage proved a major and unnecessary hurdle for commercial and residential development in the area.
Buildings considered to be in the floodplain are required to meet more rigorous design standards that include raised foundations, installing HVAC systems and tougher septic systems. Insurance costs are also higher. The new maps should mean that only structures truly at risk of flooding will be beholden to design standards and flood insurance requirements.
In addition to viewing the new maps online, residents can see hard copies immediately at the Lewis County Community Development office in Chehalis during regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. To view the maps online after their May 9 release date, visit http://gis.lewiscountywa.gov/webmap/.
The county says that property owners with an existing Letter of Map Amendment can get guidance on how the changes could affect by contacting Lewis County Building Official and Fire Marshal Doyle Sanford at 360-740-2696 or doyle.sanford@lewiscountywa.gov.
