The Chehalis River Basin, the second largest river basin in Washington State, is the ancestral homeland of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis. The Chehalis River also supports vital salmon and steelhead runs that are a treaty-protected resource for the Quinault Indian Nation and provide nourishment for endangered Southern Resident Orcas. Unfortunately, these fish populations are a fraction of their historic abundance and continue to slide ever closer to extinction.
While always a flood-prone basin, the Chehalis River has seen worsening floods as an impact of climate change and human development. Five of the largest floods in the basin’s history have occurred in the last thirty years, and the region has also become more prone to drought and water shortages in drier summer months.
Knowing that the status quo is no longer acceptable, Washington State created the Chehalis Basin Strategy in 2014. This initiative was tasked with reducing flood damage and restoring salmon habitat throughout the entire basin. A proposed solution now under environmental review is a flood retention dam with a temporary reservoir to reduce peak flooding.
This “temporary” nature of this dam’s reservoir means that it would only be used during extreme floods. We do not see it as temporary because the project would destroy hundreds of acres of quality forest, riparian habitat, and wetlands. It would also irreversibly alter river dynamics and water quality, impacting spawning grounds for salmon and steelhead.
Earth Ministry/WAIPL is following the lead of the Quinault Nation, Chehalis Tribes, and our partners in the Chehalis River Alliance who are opposed to building a new dam.
Instead, we are calling for common-ground solutions to manage the Chehalis River system for both wild fish and flood reduction. Addressing the flooding challenges in the Basin without building a dam would likely rely on many other smaller actions such as restoring natural floodplain functions, moving people out of harm’s way, and keeping them out of danger in the first place.
A draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) on the proposed dam was released and was open for public comment through May 27, 2020. Earth Ministry/WAIPL and our community of faithful advocates raised our voices to stand with the Quinault and Chehalis Tribes to ask that the Department of Ecology deny the proposed dam and seek more inclusive solutions.
In August 2020, Gov. Inslee directed the agencies reviewing the impact of the dam to instead use their time and funds toward assessing a non-dam alternative. He is also requesting improved communications with tribes throughout the remainder of this process. The faith community added a strong moral voice and our comments lifting up tribal sovereignty and asking for non-dam alternatives are reflected in this decision by the governor!
As non-dam alternatives are reviewed, Earth Ministry/WAIPL will continue to update our community on ways to participate in this campaign.
*Information provided by the Quinault Indian Nation Chehalis River Alliance, and Conservation Northwest.
Read more: “When the Chehalis floods again, who pays the price?” By Mandy Goodwin, Crosscut, May 13, 2020
