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Resident urges comprehensive stormwater approach to protect Bell Creek
Summary
During public comment, John Worthington told the Sequim council that piecemeal projects and disconnected county and WSDOT drainage are failing Bell Creek and that broader coordination and culvert replacements are required to protect fish passage and channel stability.
A Sequim resident urged the City Council on July 13 to adopt a broader, coordinated approach to stormwater work affecting Bell Creek, saying work that stops short of Willows and fails to account for county and state drainage will not protect the creek.
"If we don't have a project that goes all the way to Willows on the South Side, or even on the North Side, we're just not protecting Bell Creek," John Worthington said during the public‑comment period. He told the council that Clallam County and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) currently operate disconnected stormwater systems and that many culverts need replacement to restore fish passage.
Worthington said existing flows divert into irrigation ditches and that unless county and state agencies “step up” and planned work accounts for WSDOT drainage off Leahy Hill and the South Side of Highway 101, the city’s planned improvements risk foreclosing future creek relocation or long‑term restoration efforts.
Council did not act on a policy change during the meeting; the comment was submitted as public input on agenda item 9C. No city staff response committing to a change in scope was recorded on the record at the meeting.
Separately during public comment, Nancy Steffens provided an update about the Olympic Home Share program and announced a public talk at Sequim Library on July 29; she reported early program metrics including 273 site visitors and four matches (two in Sequim).
