Chehalis River Alliance

04/08/2023

Finding consensus around a non-dam alternative in the Chehalis Basin.

As the proposed water retention facility near Pe Ell moves into its next design phase and environmental impact studies, the Local Area Non-Dam (LAND) Alternatives Steering Group submitted its final …

04/05/2023

https://www.chronline.com/stories/guest-commentary-state-older-forest-auction-undercuts-investment-in-salmon-chehalis-basin-flood,316753?

Since the catastrophic flood of 2007 inundated the cities of Centralia and Chehalis and closed Interstate 5, Lewis County and state leaders have been planning and taking action to reduce flood damage …

10/17/2022

https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_zjf6HkS7Q_Ko_bJs-P6nXQ?fbclid=IwAR3A8fpITf8ZwEJEqLh6bkH81BxeR-tXFvltcGLRM84ROtvWyxi0O28tc8o

09/21/2022

Do you live, work, or spend time in the Chehalis Basin? Have you been impacted by past flooding in the region? The Office of Chehalis Basin wants to hear from you!

Your input will help the Local Actions Non-Dam Alternative (LAND) Steering Group develop solutions that can reduce flood damages while retaining the qualities that we value most in the Chehalis Basin.

Share your thoughts on this map-based survey: https://new.maptionnaire.com/q/86l6ydn7a7u9. The survey (link in the bio) should take about ten minutes to complete, and any information you provide will be kept private. Complete the survey before it closes on September 30, and share with your neighbors and friends!

09/13/2022

This dam blocks up to 20 miles of prime salmon habitat. The Skookumchuck Dam is over 50 years old, and the coal-powered power plant it was built to serve is shutting down in 2025. OCB has been working with TransAlta (the dam’s owner), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Quinault Indian Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, and others to examine possible futures for the dam.

The Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB) will hold a virtual webinar on Weds., Sept. 28 from 6–7:30 p.m. to share the latest research, modeling, and key updates as it relates to its study of the Skookumchuck Dam.

The webinar will focus on OCB’s ongoing evaluation of the dam, and options to reduce downstream flooding, improve fish passage, or both. This could include adjusting dam discharges, modifying the dam’s structure, or completely removing it.

Register here:

https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Ljr7atgmRgaYYVcXn6myRA

07/03/2022

WDFW is studying the abundance of juvenile Chinook, coho and steelhead that are out migrating from the upper Chehalis. The upper river, where a proposed dam would be built, hosts the healthiest habitat in the basin.

06/10/2022

A new dam on the upper Chehalis River would do little or nothing to help this property in the lower Chehalis Basin. We need flooding solutions for every community in the Basin, not another fish-killing dam.

This farm is located at the downstream side of a major river confluence - a very dynamic place where high channel migration rates are common.

Editor’s Note: This story is part of "Headwaters to Harbor," a project by The Chronicle to document the Chehalis River from Pe Ell to Grays Harbor while highlighting people and issues connected …

06/01/2022

“Peak flows have increased (on the Newaukum River) over time for the last 50 years. And it's a real clear pattern. This is change. And I want to point to data sets we have that show change already happening to say, ‘Look, whether or not you think this predicted trajectory is going to happen going forward to the future or not, this change has happened,’” Zimmerman said. “And we need to think about what that means and how there are things we can do.”

Editor’s Note: This story is part of "Headwaters to Harbor," a project by The Chronicle to document the Chehalis River from Pe Ell to Grays Harbor while highlighting people and issues connected …

05/20/2022

The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) Chairman Ed Johnstone dedicated this month's "Being Frank" column to the proposed dam and the Quinault Indian Nation's treaty rights.

Being Frank is a column written by Chairman Ed Johnstone of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. As a statement from the NWIFC chairman, the column represents the natural resources management…

05/20/2022

Earlier this week, almost 80 people attended a Values Planning session, with the purpose of working together to find creative non-dam solutions to ongoing flood damage in the Chehalis Basin. It was time well spent, with plenty of time to engage with experts, basin residents, Chehalis Basin Board members, and others. Many possible solutions were highlighted and discussed.

05/08/2022

Staff from The Chronicle will be paddling the Chehalis River for 10 days! If you live along the river and have a story to tell, contact Isabel Vander Stoep. Her email is in the article.

Shrouded by early May mist and Oregon ash, the Black River on Tuesday morning swallowed up our shadows as we paddled downstream. Honks of Canada geese and trills of red-winged blackbirds tuned out …