Feds OK study of Grays River flooding

A congressionally mandated study of Grays River Valley flooding is included in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez said last week. Wintertime flooding of lower elevations of the river in Western Wahkiakum County often happens when heavy rain or snow melt coincides with high tides.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has now been authorized to conduct “new navigation, flood risk management, and ecosystem restoration feasibility studies” in Grays River and Grays Bay.

As detailed by the two federal lawmakers, when the river floods “it cuts off access to roughly 500 people, often for more than two days at a time. Within hours, the flooding limits vital emergency services, business operations, and school transportation, leaving behind sediment that can be dangerous and time consuming to remove. Last December, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued five people trapped in flooding conditions near Rosburg.” Perez said, “These floods are dangerous, leave behind debris, and cut off critical services, so our federal government needs to take urgent action to find solutions.”

WRDA is a major two-year funding bill for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation projects. Cantwell’s office detailed a variety of other provisions of importance in the Lower Columbia region. These include replacing the 59-year-old corps vessel Dredge Oregon with a new cutter suction dredge to maintain the Columbia River channel. Other provisions include developing a potential long-term option to store dredged material and continuing maintenance by the corps of the 233 pile dikes between the mouth of the Columbia River and Bonneville Dam.

“This bill is a big win for Southwest Washington. It helps support our ports and jobs by better maintaining the Columbia River channel, which helps transport over $21 billion in agriculture and goods. … The bill also addresses dangerous flooding near Rosburg that can impact emergency services and block communities’ access to I-5,” Cantwell said.