Washington Department of Ecology meets Cowlitz County; discusses sediment, beneficial-use of dredge material and funding paths

Regional staff from the Washington Department of Ecology outlined opportunities and limits for state involvement in sediment, floodplain and habitat work along the Toutle–Cowlitz system and invited continued local collaboration on planning and funding.

Bob Aktolabi, southwest region director for Ecology, and Shauna Hanish Kirkbride, manager of Ecology's Vancouver field office, briefed county officials and members of the public on the agency's role and funding tools. Aktolabi described Ecology's interest in "finding connections" inside the agency and linking local priorities to funding and technical resources. Hanish Kirkbride said Ecology is a signatory to the Spirit Lake–Toutle–Cowlitz collaborative and that the agency's role focuses on water quality, shorelines and floodplain matters.

Ecology staff and county participants discussed the continuing issue of ash and sediment movement from Mount St. Helens and the river system's complex behavior. Ecology noted it can help fund and design projects that begin with system-scale planning—examples include comprehensive flood hazard management plans and planning grants that can open doors to federal funding. Aktolabi described flexible federal funding buckets, including Cooperating Technical Partnerships, which can support planning through design work.

Ecology staff also raised dredge-material and "beneficial use" opportunities, including a Corps policy target that by 2030 aims to put a large portion of dredged material to beneficial uses such as habitat restoration or commercial reuse. "There's value in keeping some of it in the river to provide benefits," Hanish Kirkbride said, while also noting potential commercial uses.

County commissioners and community members pressed Ecology on local priorities: Silver Lake water-quality follow-up, assistance with shoreline erosion and sediment management, potential beneficial-use markets for dredged material, and a previously discussed landfill methane-to-energy proposal. Ecology staff said they would follow up with technical contacts and that cooperative federal-state-local approaches are often needed; they also invited Army Corps participation in future meetings to clarify Corps authorities and funding paths.

Several local residents asked about permitting, whether smelt protections would prevent dredging, and where to obtain dredged material for local uses. Ecology staff said Corps engagement and project scoping are critical: Corps authority, funding (including Water Resources Development Act projects) and navigational priorities shape whether and how dredging occurs. Ecology suggested the county identify system-scale priorities so grant programs can be matched to locally defined projects.