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West Plains residents press Spokane County on flooding, contamination and funding
Summary
Multiple West Plains residents urged Spokane County to restrict development in severely flooded areas, incorporate new stormwater and PAS-contamination mapping into planning, and address an alleged $1.25 million allocation dispute for local drainage improvements.
Residents from the West Plains told Spokane County Planning staff that new geotechnical and hydrologic data show significant flood susceptibility and contamination that should affect any UGA expansion or zoning changes.
“Terry” (identified in the record by first name) urged the county to treat the West Plains as a constrained area, saying some places are already flooding and are not suitable for additional development. He told staff: “We want our money back. We want our funds put back into the West Plains,” referencing a previous local allocation of $1.25 million that, according to the speaker, had been spent elsewhere. The resident called for a moratorium on development in high-risk drainage areas until infrastructure and contamination issues are addressed.
Why it matters: Speakers pointed to stormwater flooding, concentrated PAS contamination in soils and the sensitivity of local aquifer recharge areas as constraints that affect both environmental risk and the fiscal responsibility of future development. Several commenters said the county’s current UGA maps did not clearly show the scope of airport-related development proposals or the 9,000-acre public-development authority plan they fear could bring large logistics projects to the West Plains.
Supporting details: Staff acknowledged they had added flood- and contamination-related mapping into the DEIS and said the results will inform the critical-areas ordinance update and subsequent land-use chapters. Residents called for more transparent presentation of airport and development-authority proposals (referred to in comments as an airport public-development authority or PDA) and asked how county funds previously collected for drainage in the West Plains had been allocated.
Staff response and next steps: County staff said the DEIS will bring the best available data to the planning commission and board and that land-use chapters will be informed by the new critical-areas mapping; staff did not commit to reversing past funding allocations during the open-house exchange but said they would incorporate the data into staff recommendations.
Ending: Residents were told how to submit written comments during the DEIS notice period; the county reiterated that the DEIS will inform later land-use decisions and that the planning commission and county board will receive updated information in public briefings.
