County to accept $30,000 Department of Agriculture grant for knotweed control in waterways

The county will sign an agreement with the Washington Department of Agriculture to receive $30,000 over two years to continue knotweed control efforts on county waterways, staff said. The program is the same one the county has used since about 2006, and staff said the funding supports treatments on private and public properties coordinated with landowners and control entities.

"This is the next round of the grant funding that we receive through the Washington Department of Agriculture to continue our knotweed control efforts on various waterways in Clallam County," the county presenter said. Staff said attachment materials clearly described the program and its funding allocations and that the grant and associated contract will be placed on the regular meeting consent agenda for signature; the contract was already included in the two-year budget.

Why it matters: staff said the grant supports coordinated vegetation control that helps prevent riverbank slide and invasive-species spread; staff compared areas of heavy knotweed infestation off the peninsula with local rivers that have been managed through coordinated efforts. No controversial funding decisions were reported at the work session; staff will sign the contract pending formal approval at the regular meeting.