It is time to really be good stewards of our rivers

Over the past 20 years the river floor of the White River has risen eight feet.  This means less water it is capable of holding and an increase of flood threat, both in Pacific and downstream.  It also impacts soil layers that were not affected even a few years ago.  That is why we are seeing the new phenomena of ground water being pushed up in the north eastern part of City Park and under homes near 3^{rdAve SE} and Skinner road. Prior to the 2009 floods, USGS studies showed that the river had risen six feet from 1989 to 2008. Following the 2009 flood, some sections of river have risen up an additional two feet.  This is not an issue that levy setbacks or Sandbag floodwalls will fix.  The only viable option is to work to deepen the river channel so floodwaters reducing the impact on those layers of soil that are permeable.

I do not disagree that we need to use best available science in dealing with the protection of salmon and other species that rely on a clean healthy river.  By using proven practices of select debris removal and protecting our rivers from the pollution that uncontrolled flooding causes we can have the best of both worlds.  This is not an either / or situation. It is a situation where all sides of this issue need to sit down calmly and develop a realistic plan for maintenance and protection of our rivers as well as the valuable biodiversity it includes.  Now I know my position is not going to be popular with some people in this town or this country.  I know that some people will outright oppose what I am proposing, but we are at a crossroads.  We either need to start really being good stewards of our environment and fix the problem or continue to threaten the health of our rivers with uncontrolled floods.

Now I am aware that some will argue that we need to let our rivers run wild and free.  That the solution is to just move homes out of the flood plain and let those areas return to a more natural state.  The homes that were flooded in 2009 and the homes that are being flooded right now are not in high risk flood areas.  In fact the majority of those flooded were not even in the 500 year flood plain.  Sediment depositing in the sections of river adjacent to our city have rapidly changed the dynamics of the river.  At this same rate the entire valley would be consumed in the next 50 years.  But this does not need to be an either or situation.

Salmon like cool pools of fresh shaded water flowing over gravel and around the occasional piece of woody debris.  That is not what we currently have.  We have piles of gravel moving downriver along with sand and silt.  We have logjams and wood piles that are not creating habitat but are only waiting for the next storm to move a few more miles down the river.  This is not a matter of disturbing habitat; this is a matter of dealing with the dynamics of a rapidly changing river system that deposits large amounts of debris and gravel in our city.

I agree with current projects proposed by King County of reactivating an old oxbow on the east bank of the river, removing portions of the levy there and creating what I think could be one of the greatest environmental projects in our region in decades.  I also want to see the City of Pacific and Pierce County reach agreement on wetlands currently in a small, isolated patch of unincorporated Pierce County south of the County Line.  We wish to expand some of the wetland areas, clean up previous storm damage and restore it to a functioning wetlands area.  I agree with plans to create a levy setback on the west side of the river, however these plans need to be modified so they do not destroy a neighborhood and so they incorporate new information about the soil composition near the park.  It does no good to create a levy that water just permeates the soil underneath and creates other flooding issues.

What I propose is three things.  First we look at a concept I first heard brought up by Robert Freitag, a University of Washington Urban Planning expert who believes that we need to look at controlling erosion into streams and sediment collection points could be created that could effectively and environmentally safely remove gravel and debris.  Secondly we look at removing woody debris that does not create stable habitat for fish. I am not talking about stable logjams and engineered piles of debris, I am talking about the debris that next storm continue a journey down stream and event8ually need to be pulled out of Commencement Bay.  Finally we remove large piles of gravel buildup that has promoted the buildup of the river bottom.  In combination these three efforts will restore some of the capacity and help the river itself deal with some of the impacts that man has had on it.

There is no doubt that mankind has had a negative impact on our rivers. I support efforts to use real best management practices and common sense policy to reduce the impact development and growth has on our river ecosystems.  But it is like closing the door after the horse has got out of the barn.  We need to clean up some of our own impact to allow the rivers to flow more naturally. And we do not need to sacrifice anything or anybody to do it.