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Sunnyside advisory reviews climate workbook, irrigation district roles and outreach plan
Summary
Committee members reviewed a Department of Commerce climate-element workbook (tasks 1.1 and 1.2), requested local tailoring (irrigation districts, dairies, particulate concerns), discussed inviting a Port of Sunnyside liaison and set outreach and mailing-list work. Staff said the Commerce grant allocation totals $150,000 and Sunnyside's task order is about $89,000.
Members of the Sunnyside Climate Resilience Advisory spent the bulk of their meeting reviewing a draft climate-element workbook provided under Department of Commerce guidance and agreed to tailor the material to Sunnyside’s local conditions, including irrigation districts, agricultural impacts and port infrastructure.
Staff presenter Mister Calhoun said the workbook includes about 15–16 tabs and highlighted two foundational tasks: 1.1, identifying community assets, and 1.2, exploring hazards and climate changes. "1.1 is identifying community assets, and then 1.2 is exploring hazards and changes in the climate," Calhoun told the committee, and urged members to help refine items specific to Sunnyside.
Committee members asked staff to verify and clarify entries that could be misleading if left generic. Members noted the workbook lists irrigation entities and asked whether the listed systems are federal or state-managed; staff agreed to confirm whether "Rosa Irrigation" (noted in the workbook) and the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District are correctly characterized and to update the workbook accordingly. Members also raised county-level concerns, including dairies, manure management and particulate matter that could affect groundwater and public health.
Members discussed adding the Port of Sunnyside to the zoning and development section and inviting a port representative to attend as a liaison or guest to explain port wastewater and biosolids management. The committee voted to develop an email/mailing list of stakeholders (including irrigation districts and port contacts) to support public engagement and outreach for later draft-public-notice distribution.
A member asked about the Department of Commerce grant that funds the work. Calhoun said the total allocation for the project is $150,000, with Sunnyside’s task order roughly $89,000; he said Commerce guidance was amended and that leftover funds might be available for future implementation and could be used through 2029. "The total allocation is a 150,000. I think our task order is, like, 90, 89 or something like that," Calhoun said; he added that subsequent messaging from Commerce indicated leftover funds could support implementation in later grant years.
Members also debated the workbook’s framing — whether it emphasizes effects on sectors (for example, how drought affects agriculture) rather than sources of climate change — and asked staff to clarify the scope and the committee’s expected end goals. Staff said the mapping and initial tables are primarily sourced from UW climate mapping and that the workbook will narrow to Sunnyside-specific details as the committee completes subsequent tasks.
Next steps identified by the committee: staff will confirm agency/irrigation classifications, add port representation or a liaison, build a stakeholder mailing list for engagement, and revise tasks 1.1 and 1.2 to be more Sunnyside-specific for review at the next meeting.
