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Cowlitz County nearing property acquisitions and easements for Riderwood water reservoir project
Summary
County engineer said property purchases and easements from private owners are signed and the county is seeking the chairman's signature, and warned a federal government shutdown could delay federal permits and funding tied to the Riderwood and related projects.
Cowlitz County public works staff told commissioners Wednesday that easements and property purchase agreements for the Riderwood emergency water-reservoir project are finalized and await signature by the board chair.
“...we have easements and property purchase for the Riderwood emergency, project water project. So we're purchasing some property from RH Emerson, Sierra Pacific, to site the reservoir and then some easements for the piping work,” County Engineer Susan Eugenis said, adding that the county “finally come to terms, and they are signed, and we are requesting that the chairman sign those documents.” Eugenis said staff hope the reservoir will be in place by next August to ensure water availability next summer.
Eugenis described the project funding as a mix: partially ARPA funds and partially “congressionally delegated funds” administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She also warned that a continuing federal government shutdown could affect several county projects that rely on federal approvals or pass-through federal funds. “The other impact it has on us is, permits from the US Army Corps, so that's when we're impacting wetlands,” Eugenis said, and she noted the county is still waiting on a U.S. Army Corps Section 408 permit for the delayed Dyke Road project.
Why it matters: The Riderwood project supplies water infrastructure serving county residents; delays to federal permitting or fund obligations could shift schedules and start dates. Eugenis said staff are pursuing required agreements and federal permits and will return to the board as federal processes progress.
Details and next steps: Eugenis said she is working to finalize a “bridal agreement” (as read in the transcript) with federal agencies to move the project into federal permitting, and that if a shutdown lasts weeks it likely will have minor impact but a 30–60 day shutdown could have material effects on permitting and obligation of funds. No formal vote or contract signature by the board was recorded during the meeting; staff requested the chairman’s signature on the agreements when available.
