Commissioners authorize up to $200,000 for geomorphic flood study aimed at supporting dredging requests

County Engineer Susan Eugenis (S13) asked the board to authorize the public works director to sign a negotiated agreement with Wolf Water Resources for a geomorphic assessment not to exceed $200,000. Staff said preliminary notification indicates the county will receive a state grant that requires expenditures to be completed by the end of June; the study is intended as the first step toward identifying sediment‑load dynamics, likely impacts, and potential remedies along local reaches of the Cowlitz and Toutle river systems.

Commissioners and staff discussed the Corps of Engineers' focus on 22level of protection22 (levied areas) and the Corps' data requirements; commissioners said a locally produced geomorphic analysis and sediment model would provide scientific evidence to support requests for dredging and other mitigation. Staff described expected deliverables (historic review, sediment‑load modeling, GIS mapping of prioritized locations) and cautioned that a comprehensive regional program would cost far more than this initial study. The board moved to authorize negotiations and voted to approve the authorization.

Why it matters: County officials framed the study as a practical, evidence‑building step to overcome institutional barriers to dredging and to inform future investment decisions to reduce flood risk for residents downstream.