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Flood zone district outlines proposed flow-through retention facility, mitigation plans and public comment schedule
Summary
Lewis County Flood Control Zone District officials presented a revised flow-through flood retention facility for the Chehalis Basin, described environmental mitigation and modeled benefits (including an estimated 62,000 acre-feet capacity and about 2,600 structures potentially protected), and set public comment deadlines and hearings on the revised draft EIS.
Lewis County flood authorities on Monday briefed residents and stakeholders on a proposed flow-through flood retention facility intended to reduce catastrophic flooding across the Chehalis Basin and protect communities downstream from Centralia to Aberdeen.
The Chehalis River Basin Flood Control Zone District presented updated design work, new environmental mitigation measures and modeled benefits for the structure, which is designed to operate only during extreme events while allowing normal fish passage the rest of the time.
“The revised draft EIS was released on 11/20/2025,” said Kathy Burneman, project manager for the Flood Control Zone District. “Comments are due 02/04/2026.” She listed in-person and online hearings the district will support, including an in-person hearing at Centralia College on Jan. 6 and an online hearing on Jan. 8, plus an additional in-person session in Aberdeen around Jan. 13.
Project proponents said up-front modeling shows the facility would temporarily hold on the order of 62,000 acre-feet of floodwater at the proposed site and that the state’s initial analysis estimates more than 2,600 valuable structures could be spared flood damage under modeled scenarios. Jay Vanderstoop, a board member…
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