WSDOT to Address Chehalis River Flooding Near I-5

Chehalis, WA - A draft report examining alternative projects to protect Interstate 5, the Chehalis-Centralia Airport and other critical community facilities during flooding of the Chehalis river will be presented Thursday, Aug. 23, by the Washington State Department of Transportation

The presentation covers six projects that WSDOT analyzed as directed by the state Legislature. The report will be published as part of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center’s Chehalis Basin Flood Mitigation Alternatives Report, which identified 5 alternatives including a multi-purpose dam upstream of Pe Ell, levee improvements around the Chehalis-Centralia Airport, flood walls around I-5, improvements to the current levee system around Centralia and Chehalis, as well as programmatic approaches, such as land use management, flood proofing, home elevations and buyouts, and livestock evacuation and sanctuary areas.

WSDOT’s report will be available for public review and comment starting Friday, Aug. 17. The comment period for both the WSDOT and Ruckelshaus Center reports ends Aug. 31.