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Cowlitz County applies for FEMA BRIC planning grant to study chronic flooding in Westover/Lomar area
Summary
County staff said they submitted a pre‑application through Washington State for a FEMA BRIC planning study to evaluate flooding solutions in the Westover/Lomar neighborhood, an area staff said has recurrent roadway and occasional residential flooding dating back to the 1980s.
Cowlitz County staff told the Board of Commissioners they are pursuing a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) planning grant, administered in Washington state, to fund a study of chronic flooding in the Westover/Lomar neighborhood.
County Engineer Susan Eugenis said the BRIC program supports projects that reduce the frequency of roadway and home flooding. Eugenis said staff completed a pre‑application and that Washington State would act as the grant applicant with the county as a subrecipient if selected. Under a proposed resolution, Eugenis and project engineer Chris Andrews were designated as the county’s applicants to submit the materials.
The Westover/Lomar area sits below Nevada Drive and adjacent to a small creek that runs down from the hills; staff said the creek slows where the slope flattens, flows adjacent to homes and crosses under a railroad and highway. "This has been going on since the 80s," Eugenis said, describing annual road closures on Lomar Drive and periodic residential flooding. Another staff participant said the roads are frequently cut off and that residents sometimes use boats to exit when flooding occurs.
The study would analyze options and perform a benefit‑cost assessment to identify viable mitigating measures. Eugenis described potential solutions the study may evaluate, including creating additional storage area downstream, reconfiguring open channels, raising or elevating certain foundations, or pursuing voluntary buyouts for properties in the floodway; she cautioned the study is necessary because the county does not yet know the most effective solution.
Why it matters: residents and emergency responders face recurring access issues when Lomar Drive and nearby streets flood, and the BRIC planning study would be the precursor required to pursue larger BRIC implementation funding in the future.
Staff also said the county worked with its lobbyist, David Hodges, to identify the funding opportunity and that the BRIC planning application could position the county for later construction funds if the planning stage shows favorable benefit‑cost results. Eugenis said if the county’s project is selected for national consideration, staff would return to the board for formal action on implementation funding.
Ending: The board previewed a resolution to designate county staff to submit the BRIC pre‑application materials; staff said they will return for formal board action if the state‑level application progresses.
