Citizens outline Coal Creek wetland restoration; group wins $280,000 for initial engineering

Bob Russell, a resident and citizen organizer, updated the Chehalis City Council on plans to restore wetlands along Coal Creek and said the group has secured $280,000 to start initial engineering work.

Russell said the project focuses on about 88 acres in the Coal Creek area, roughly 66 acres of which he said are owned by the City of Chehalis. "We envision a community amenity consisting of these lush wetlands, public access trails along the lowlands of Lewis County with community support and involvement," Russell said.

Russell told council members the idea began as a citizen effort and developed in coordination with the Chehalis Basin Collaborative for Salmon Habitat and the national nonprofit American Rivers, which the group asked to serve as a project sponsor. He said the project team previously estimated a total build cost around $1.2 million to make the site "shovel-ready," but that the project's first phase will focus on studies and engineering using the newly awarded funds.

The $280,000, Russell said, will pay for initial engineering, wetland delineation, surveys of ownership and other technical work needed to scope options and create cost estimates. He said the group will hold a public meeting for local residents at the senior center before moving to further design work.

Council members asked logistical questions such as likely access points, potential need to move material within the floodplain and how the group expects to negotiate adjoining private property. Russell said those questions will be part of the technical work funded by the award and the upcoming public meeting.

Russell emphasized the project's aims for salmon habitat and community access while noting constraints: "It's not really big flood and it's not really big salmon, right? It's coho and silvers, not Chinook," he said, explaining the project sits between flood control and salmon-recovery priorities. The council did not take action on the project at the meeting; Russell said the group will return with more information after the engineering phase.

The presentation identified key local landmarks and property relationships, including Sunbirds, the county fairgrounds, Kresge Street, the Chehalis River and a straightened channel of Coal Creek that Russell described as artificially altered years ago. He said the team's next steps include wetland studies, topographic mapping (including drone surveys) and ownership research so the group can produce alternative cost estimates—examples he gave ranged from approximately $1.5 million to $2 million depending on scope.

Russell asked citizens to participate in the community meeting and said the group intends to return to the council with findings and proposed next steps after the engineering work is complete.