County workships revised flood hazard plan as residents press dredging, Corps review and Spirit Lake attention

Cowlitz County officials on Tuesday workshopped a revised flood hazard management plan that staff say pares regulatory language and focuses the document on preparedness, coordination and eligibility for FEMA and state funding.

"It identifies that $3,900,000,000 in improvements are protected by levees in this county," Adam (staff) said during the presentation, noting the plan’s role in helping the county access federal and state resources and in qualifying for the FEMA Community Rating System, which can lower local flood insurance costs.

Tracy Jackson (Building and Planning) told the commissioners the draft has been shortened and rewritten to remove references that were no longer relevant and to better reflect county needs. Diking engineer Patrick Harvison said the plan was developed with heavy public and jurisdictional participation and is intended to improve coordination among cities, diking districts and county agencies.

Public commenters urged additional emphasis on river sediment and dredging. Mark Smith asked the board to "formally ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District to pause the proposed $56,000,000 cement retention structure at the SRS spillway project currently scheduled for July 2026" and to require a feasibility study using updated sediment and flood data before proceeding.

Other speakers and commissioners advocated that the plan explicitly recognize dredging and bank stabilization as viable tools, and recommended outreach to Skamania County and state agencies (Department of Natural Resources) and Seattle‑district Corps dredging units for coordinated federal support. Staff said the consultant had prepared model language and a prewritten dredging proposal that is included in the draft and that the steering committee prioritized dredging as a tool.

Commissioners also asked staff to consider risks from Spirit Lake and the North Fork Toutle River as part of the plan; staff said Spirit Lake issues are already represented and the plan supports ongoing working groups focused on mitigation.

Staff said they would incorporate suggested edits — adding emphasis on dredging, Spirit Lake and interjurisdictional coordination — and bring a revised draft back for adoption at a January meeting so the county can meet state and FEMA requirements and preserve eligibility for grant programs and flood insurance benefits.

What’s next: staff will revise the draft to add the requested emphasis and coordinate with diking districts and neighboring counties; the board indicated it would consider adoption in January.