The Washington state Senate passed a bill Saturday that could pave the way for a flood district that would encompass Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties. Senate Bill 5704 passed a Senate vote 45-0 and now awaits approval in the House of Representatives. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester, lays down rules for tax-funded flood districts that encompass three or more counties. Previous laws dated back to the 1930s, and didn't clearly allow for the inclusion of more than two counties. The bill that passed Monday stipulates that such a district must have an elected member from each county, two additional members and a representative from any tribe adjacent to the district. A flood district would be responsible for identifying, pursuing and funding flood reduction projects -- such as dams, levees and dredging -- within a given river basin. Government officials across Thurston, Grays Harbor and Lewis counties expressed interest in creating a tri-county flood district following the Chehalis River flooding of December 2007. The result was the creation of the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority, a body of 11 local governments charged with finding basinwide solutions to ongoing river problems. Lewis County Commissioner Ron Averill, chairman of the Flood Authority, has said all along that the authority should be replaced by a voter-approved flood district as soon as possible. The designation would allow the district to levy taxes from residents within the district and qualify for federal and state funds. Averill said he was pleased with the bill, specifically in that it addresses the make-up of such a district's governing body. "When you get into three counties, with the turf protection and stuff like that, they don't want to be in a body where they don't have representation," Averill said. The change in legislation is just one hurdle standing in the way of a tri-county flood district. Officials will eventually have to go to the voters, and it isn't yet clear exactly how the election would be operated. Current law dictates that only property owners within a flood district would be eligible to vote. A separate piece of legislation -- Senate Bill 5705 -- aims to change that, and if passed would give voting rights to all eligible residents in the floodplain. Swecker said that the legislation makes sense, and that those without property in the district still feel the effects of flooding. "In a tri-county flood district, the population is so diverse," Swecker said. "You have everyone from homeowners, to renters to businesses owners who rent property and they're all equally devastated by the impact of the flooding." Engineers from Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties have been working to draw out potential boundaries for a flood district, a crucial step if the measure is to reach a ballot. Averill said he doesn't expect to put the issue before the voters until November, at the earliest. The flood authority hired a consulting agency after it received $2.5 million in state funding in 2008, and Averill said the consultants are working on a plan to show potential voters. County officials are barred by state law from campaigning for the creation of a flood district. Averill said the grassroots group One Voice could play an important role in pushing the measure forward by speaking directly to the voters. "So when we go to the voters we can say 'this is where you'll be, and this is where the flood district plans to pursue projects,'" Averill said. Eric Schwartz: (360) 807-8245
