Flood-control funding gets OK

CAPITOL HILL: $1.3 million for Chehalis River Basin work has both houses' approval, awaits Obama

The Chronicle (Centralia) • Published October 17, 2009

Comments (0)

The U.S. Senate has approved $1.3 million for studies into potential flood-control efforts in the Chehalis River Basin.

The funding was included in an appropriations bill passed Thursday by the Senate. It is split into two parts – $672,000 for the preconstruction and design of the Twin Cities Project, which calls for 11 miles of levees in and around Centralia and Chehalis, and $672,000 for the basin-wide study into ecosystem restoration and flood control.

The House of Representatives has approved the funding, meaning the measure needs only the signature of President Barack Obama.

The new allocation continues a federal funding stream that began last year. Both projects are under way, led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The state is the local sponsor of the Twin Cities Project and has set aside about $50 million to cover its share of the $124 million project.

The Chehalis Basin Partnership and Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority are partnering on the basinwide general investigation.

Also included in the appropriations bill was funding for continued monitoring and analysis of the sediment that came down the Toutle River into the Cowlitz River when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. The Army Corps will receive $1.5 million to study the long-term effects of levee modifications and river dredging. Sediment from the eruption continues to flow into the rivers, causing potential flooding concerns and rivernavigation problems.

The funding passed in the 2010 Senate Energy and Water Development appropriations bill by a vote of 80-17.