Resident raises concerns about Neffs Canyon debris basin project; public works outlines flood-control, firefighting and FEMA goals
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
A public commenter requested a public comment period for the Neffs Canyon Debris Basin Project environmental assessment; public works described the project's floodplain remediation, firefighting infrastructure and $25 million in federal funding.
A public comment submitted online and read into the Mill Creek City Council record on May 27 asked the city to open a public comment period during the environmental-assessment scoping for the Neffs Canyon Debris Basin Project.
Public works director John Miller (presenting for the city) described the proposal: a Forest Service partnership to reduce flood risk and wildfire danger in Neffs Canyon by constructing improved facilities for firefighting, including a helipad and a local water reservoir to reduce the need to travel to distant reservoirs for water-dipping operations. Miller said the project would also expand parking in Neffs Canyon by about 60 stalls and that the Forest Service and the Unified Fire Authority support the plan.
Miller told the council that roughly 300 homes in the Mount Olympus community are in the FEMA-regulated flood plain. Under FEMA rules those properties face limits on repair and rebuilding unless they are raised above the mean flood level; Miller said some properties could need as much as 4 feet of elevation to be out of the flood plain, which in turn could conflict with local height ordinances and basement use.
Miller said the project aims to secure a FEMA revision to the flood plain designation, which would eliminate the flood-insurance requirement for many homeowners and allow rebuilding without the current restrictions. He said the city has secured “a grand total of almost $25,000,000 in federal funding” for the project and that the Forest Service and Unified Fire Authority are partners.
Miller confirmed the city will hold public comment as part of the environmental-assessment process and said “a lot of times these projects get refined or revised based upon that public comment.” He assured the commenter that the public process would run.
What remains to be decided: the environmental assessment scoping and any project refinements that emerge from public comment. No formal council action was taken at the May 27 meeting aside from staff commitments to conduct the scoping public comment process and to respond to stakeholder concerns concerning floodplain impacts and construction effects on nearby properties.