Projects easing flood threats in Skamokawa

“This is a good example of government and private citizens working together to get something done,” said Don Speranza, owner of Crippen Creek Bed and Breakfast in Skamokawa.

Speranza is talking about 800 feet of the creek that runs next to his home in Middle Valley in Skamokawa.

In the winter of 2006 the creek came over its banks to threaten the Speranza home. The following spring Don and Kitty Speranza contacted the Wahkiakum Conservation District (WCD) for help.

The district had already been studying Skamokawa Creek’s water-flow patterns.

“I think the contractor reinforced the bank and put in woody material to stabilize the Speranza property and provide cover for fish,” said WCD Engineer Samuel Giese.

The WCD also added a small bridge to the Speranza property, giving them access to seven acres that they ordinarily couldn’t access.

The Speranza project is one of several sponsored by the WCD and the Skamokawa Diking District.

The idea to return sections of Skamokawa Valley to a more natural state began in 1995. The Speranza project is one of a patchwork of sites slated to improve water quality and the flow of Skamokawa Creek over the next several years. The WCD’s plan also includes both the watershed enhancement and fish habitat improvement.

“In the late 1940’s The US Corps of Engineers straightened Skamokawa Creek and cut off the meandering part of the creek you see from Skamokawa Valley Road,” said Giese. “Their work really left no place for the water to go, and that’s why the valley floods today.”

Giese said the WCD’s mandate is to assist land owners and aid in protecting the soil and water. It has several planned projects along about 2.5 miles of Skamokawa Creek, and some projects, like the Speranzas’, are already complete.

“Some conservation districts are funded through assessments, but we are funded entirely through a combination of state and federal grants,” said Giese. He added that from the start, the WCD planned to work with the land owners in Skamokawa Valley to improve the entire watershed.

The WCD’s original plan was to remove some of the dikes along Skamokawa Creek. After a few community meetings the WCD realized that wasn’t the best approach. “We did want to improve the flow and quality however,” said Giese.

The Corps' original realignment of Skamokawa Creek served a two-fold purpose. The concept was to control flooding and enhance and enlarge the farmland throughout Skamokawa Valley.

“And it did just that,” said Diking District Manager Tim Schmitz. “They also put in the existing levees that continue to protect areas like the fairgrounds.”

Geise said the WCD developed the Skamokawa Creek watershed project and then looked for partners.

Skamokawa Diking District No. 5 volunteered to help, along with the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST).

“The original funding for the project was by the Bonneville Power Administration through CREST,” said Geise. “Funds also came from the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership (LCEP) and the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board.”

The WCD also completed the installation of a new tide gate on the meandering section of Skamokawa Creek between Middle Valley Road and Sleepy Hollow this year. The construction should provide flood relief in the valley during high tides and heavy rains.

“We haven’t tried the new tide gate yet,” said Schmitz. “We’ve discussed opening it up but we’re not quite there yet.”

The plan also calls for a new tide gate southwest of the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds.

Giese said that in total the work on Skamokawa Creek should relieve some of the flooding that occurs with the winter and spring freshets.

“That’s been something that’s been long overdue,” said Schmitz. “Before these groups offered their help, there was really no potential for our diking district to make repairs to what the Corps of Engineers did to the creek.”

Schmitz said the groups involved in putting Skamokawa Creek to rights have been essential in helping the district collect the needed data that will allow the district to continue its repairs.

“CREST and the WCD have been instrumental as far as the engineering goes in showing the district where things are in the watershed and how to get the grants to get things done,” Giese said.

Looking at the big picture, he added, the WCD has completed, besides the Speranza project, another project on Kay Walter’s property, also along Middle Valley Road.

“We also have the funding in place to restore the bank along two other pieces of property along that road ,” said Geise.

The current amount spent on the Skamokawa Creek project is in the neighborhood of $400, 000, he said.

“I think the overall plan is to show folks we can work together to produce projects that are both beneficial to people and to the watershed,” he said.