Residents urge Lewis County to help finish emergency river repairs; county pledges to coordinate with state

Residents who carried out emergency riverbank work to protect homes on the Kallet River urged the Lewis County Board of Commissioners on May 19, 2026, to help finish repairs and resolve permitting so homeowners are not penalized.

"We need your help in finishing what we started," said Donna Oclair, president of High Valley Community Resilience, who told the board her group organized volunteers and built a large revetment after the river rose nine feet within 10 hours. Oclair said the county’s Community Development office, via a letter from Mindy Brooks, told them the work requires after‑the‑fact permitting and that her name is on the permit application.

The issue drew sustained testimony from local property owners who said they had used personal funds to deliver rock and build temporary protections to prevent houses and septic systems from washing away. "Without your help, we lose our nonprofit and our community will lose its faith in the process," one resident said.

Rob Miracle, a Pacwood resident, told the board that a wildlife representative admitted the 2025 flood had destroyed fertilized salmon eggs. "Many property owners found salmon carcasses for the first time in drainage ditches that were overrun with water runoff," Miracle said, and he urged the county to use its influence with state agencies to pursue a longer‑term channelization or diking solution to stabilize a single mainstream and reduce repeated damage.

In response, a commissioner who spoke on the record committed to working with the residents and coordinating with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Ecology to pursue an expedited, less costly path forward. The commissioner said multiple citizens had contacted the office and emphasized the county’s intent to balance emergency response needs with regulatory requirements.

County staff did not present a formal staff‑led mitigation plan or request new funding at the meeting; commissioners did not adopt any motion that would direct immediate county repairs. The matter remains in the discussion stage with staff expected to pursue coordination with state agencies and to report back to the board.

Why it matters: residents said they acted in an emergency to protect homes and septic systems; they requested county help covering engineering certification and permitting costs they said could run into "tens of thousands of dollars." The board’s pledge to coordinate with state agencies is an early procedural step but does not, on its own, resolve permitting or funding questions.

The board moved on to other agenda items after the public comment period. No formal directive or funding appropriation for the Kallet River work was recorded in the meeting minutes.