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Mason County proposes aligning Skokomish Valley floodway with FEMA maps, which could ease rebuilding rules for some owners
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Summary
County Community Development staff proposed removing a county-imposed floodway in the Skokomish Valley and relying on FEMA floodway/floodplain mapping; staff said the change would allow some property owners to rebuild after substantial damage if they meet modern elevation and floodproofing standards.
Cal Rowan, a Mason County Community Development staff member, told commissioners the county is proposing to remove a county-imposed floodway designation in the Skokomish Valley and rely instead on the FEMA floodway and floodplain maps.
The proposal, Rowan said, would narrow the county's separate floodway mapping to whatever FEMA has mapped and continue to rely on existing channel migration and shoreline protections. "If that is re if we remove the county designated floodway and you're just in the FEMA flood plain and your house burns down, you will be able to rebuild," Rowan said, but added property owners would have to rebuild "to the current construction standards by elevating the house and flood venting and things like that."
Rowan told commissioners the county-imposed floodway dates to the early 2000s and that when FEMA updated maps in 2019 it altered the mapped floodway in the Skokomish Valley; he described the county action as primarily a mapping change and said the planning commission forwarded the proposal to the board. "This is mostly a mapping, a process of changing the maps," Rowan said.
Commissioners asked whether the change would affect ongoing gravel-hauling work and insurance. Rowan and others said insurers are required to use FEMA mapping for underwriting and that the county change should not change insurers' mapping practice, though one commissioner observed some properties could remain effectively uninsurable because of local restrictions. Rowan also noted the county may later revisit Title 14's text, which could require coordination with public works and other departments.
Why it matters: Under the county-imposed floodway, structures sustained to a level of "substantial damage" could not be rebuilt. Adopting only FEMA's floodway/floodplain mapping would allow rebuilding in some cases so long as owners meet current construction requirements; the change therefore affects property repairability, local permitting, and development options along the Skokomish River.
Next steps: Rowan said the mapping change will be placed on the May 12 action agenda with a public hearing scheduled for June 9; staff also plans further work with public works and possibly additional text amendments under Title 14 to bring back to the board for recommendation.
