Public hearing on Thurston County 2025 Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan draws drainage‑district and environmental concerns; adoption set for Sept. 30

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Thurston County held a public hearing Sept. 16 on the county’s 2025 Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan update, a FEMA‑focused document intended to maintain the county’s Community Rating System (CRS) status and guide county flood‑mitigation initiatives. County staff told commissioners the plan incorporates updated data and program descriptions but does not change regulatory flood maps or create new regulations.

Ashley Rai, director of Community Planning and Economic Development, said the update is intended to meet FEMA requirements and help guide mitigation projects. “It is important to note that this update does not create additional regulations or changes to any of the maps regarding flood hazard areas here in the county,” Rai said, and she noted the plan’s role in preserving reduced flood‑insurance rates through continued CRS participation.

Rai said the county received about 26 written comments prior to the hearing and summarized major themes, including concerns about Tacoma Power and flood storage in Alder Dam/Howard Hanson (Holder Dam was cited by commenters), protection of habitat and species, critical‑area buffers, land‑use and impervious surface regulation, and tree‑clearing.

Multiple members of drainage‑ditch districts urged the county to explicitly recognize and work with RCW 85‑established drainage districts. Matt Jackman, chair of Hopkins Drainage Ditch District No. 2, told the board he and other ditch district chairs feel the plan and the county have “ignored and snubbed” the county’s drainage districts and asked to be included in county planning and education efforts. Jackman said the plan’s table listing drainage districts omitted functioning districts and that ditch districts possess historical knowledge relevant to groundwater flooding in Salmon Creek Basin.

Ken Miller, chair of the Scott Lake Drainage District, echoed Jackman and urged greater county collaboration with elected drainage‑district commissioners. Environmental commenters asked the county to prioritize habitat protection in flood response planning. Betsy Norton of South Sound Bird Alliance said wildlife and critical habitat must be protected “before, during, and after flooding” and recommended updating zoning, development codes and stormwater standards to address combined sources of flooding, including groundwater plus increased precipitation.

Several commenters argued that sub‑basin plans and hydrology models are dated; speakers urged the county to update maps and models that inform mitigation. Howard Glasseter, a long‑time Nisqually Delta resident, urged scrutiny of how Alder Dam operations and reservoir management factor into valley flood dynamics and referenced past major flood events.

After public testimony, a commissioner moved to place the Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan update on the Sept. 30 meeting agenda for adoption, providing the board two weeks to review written comments. Staff noted a FEMA CRS visit is scheduled for Oct. 15 and that updated, adopted plan language should be in place before that date to avoid compliance issues. The motion to calendar the plan for Sept. 30 was seconded and carried.

County staff said where comments relate to code or regulatory change, those items will be considered through the broader comprehensive plan and forthcoming critical‑areas ordinance updates; the flood plan itself remains a FEMA‑required, countywide guidance document.