Administrator Erik Martin speaks during a meeting of the Cowlitz River Basin Flood Control Zone District in July 2019.
A study that will re-map the Cowlitz River Floodplain is set to be conducted and finished by June 2021, according to Lewis County officials.
The Board of County Commissioners approved an agreement between the county and Watershed Science and Engineering Inc. that would allow the latter to oversee the study in a business meeting on Thursday.
Lewis County Commissioner Gary Stamper said he hopes the findings of the study would lead to an improved sewer system for Packwood. A map of the floodplain has been around for “many years,” but due to an increase in population, it needed to be re-evaluated and potentially rezoned.
“They’re getting more and more people up there,” Stamper said. “You have septic systems that are working fine, but at some point, where does working fine and start having failures (intersect). They’ve already had some (failures).”
He continued by saying the capabilities of the current sewer system have affected the prospect of additional businesses in the area. Stamper cited Peters Inn, a hotel in Packwood that is now closed and the surrounding areas as places that have been impacted by the sewer limitations.
“To put a system in there, it would cost you $80, $90, $100,000 to have a commercial tank put in there that would be able to handle the flow of people,” Stamper said. “So, it’s something that’s going to be looked at … a sewer system in Packwood that would be capable of holding expanded businesses and maybe some increased housing.”
Lewis County Public Works Director Josh Metcalf said the contract between Watershed and the county is for $514,846 and funded by the Department of Commerce.
“The contract scope of work has been negotiated with Watershed, as well as the budget for professional services,” Metcalf said during the meeting on Thursday.
He added that Public Works was looking to get the project started immediately.
According to Stamper, the study isn’t expected to experience any COVID-19-related delays. From what he understands, any federal or state project that money has already been set aside for can move forward.
Lewis County Commissioner Edna Fund said the project was funded in a previous capital budget. Due to the delay of last year’s budget, though, many projects, the Cowlitz study included, were pushed back.
“We didn’t have our capital budget passed until late last year,” Fund said. “So it pushed everything back, everything, and it was a long session.”
She said now that the study is finally going to get underway, she hopes the county can get a better idea of what the areas in the floodplain can safely be used for.
“We’ll know where the floodplain is,” Fund said. “Then that tells us what activities can occur in that location.”
For Stamper, he hopes the study helps sensibly accelerate the growth of Packwood and the surrounding areas.
“We don’t want to turn Packwood into another Bend, Oregon,” Stamper said. “But, responsible growth, I think, is what we’re looking for.”
