Washington state, Canada agree to address border flooding in Whatcom County
U.S. and Canadian government leaders have agreed to cooperative measures that address flooding on the Nooksack River, which is happening more frequently and with greater intensity amid global climate change.
In a joint statement issued Tuesday, March 15, Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee and British Columbia Premier John Horgan pledged “to build a sustained and ongoing transboundary initiative to address Nooksack River flooding prevention and response.”
Details of the cooperative initiative will be disclosed this spring, the joint statement said.
Storms in November 2021 caused two rounds of flooding on the Nooksack River in Whatcom County, devastating communities from Maple Falls to Lummi Nation at the river delta.
Floodwaters inundated the farming communities of Everson, Nooksack and Sumas and surged downhill into neighboring Abbotsford and Sumas Prairie, B.C.
Damage estimates in Whatcom County have risen past $150 million and totaled in the billions across British Columbia, according to the joint statement and Bellingham Herald reporting.
An estimated 500 Whatcom County residents were displaced and more than 14,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Canada, the statement said.
It was the second time in less than two years that Nooksack River communities have suffered flood damage as subtropical storms soaked the region with torrential rain, and melting snow in the North Cascades added to the swollen river system, according to previous Herald reporting.
“Flooding in the Nooksack watershed has been a long-standing issue for residents, Tribes and First Nations, and government leaders,” the statement said.
“Washington state and British Columbia have a unique role to play in addressing the urgent challenge of Nooksack River flooding,” Inslee said in the statement. “Flooding will continue to worsen in the face of population growth, development and climate change, and this challenge is bigger and more urgent than any level of government can solve on its own. Long-term, sustainable solutions will require resources from all levels of government on both sides of our border, and we are committed to working together to leverage input and significant expertise from impacted communities.”
State Rep. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, told The Herald that she and her 42nd District colleague Rep. Alicia Rule, D-Blaine, “divvied up work before session and were able to secure funding and commitments for mid- and long-term work” before the state Legislature adjourned its 2022 session last week.
Rule had two bills to create programs to support small businesses and farmers that became part of a $20 million budget proviso for a statewide program to assist small businesses recovering from a natural disaster, Shewmake told The Herald in an email.
Another bill to support farmers and ranchers recovering from a natural disaster is on its way to Inslee’s desk, she said.
“To address mid/long-term needs, we fought for $2 million from the capital budget to buy frequently flooded properties in Whatcom County, as well as targeted investments around our community,” Shewmake said. “There is $2 million to repair and prepare schools in the Nooksack Valley School District, $14 million to elevate Slater Road from frequent flooding, and another $2 million for the (Fire) Station 34 replacement which serves Marietta and Lummi Peninsula and whose function can be critical in responding to floods.”
State Sen. Simon Sefzik, who was appointed by the Whatcom County Council to replace the late Sen. Doug Ericksen at the start of the Legislature’s 2022 term, told The Herald that flood relief should remain a government priority.
“Addressing the impacts of last year’s Whatcom County flooding is a job for all levels of government, from this new bilateral international approach to the efforts we see from local governments in our area. We made a good start with the relief authorized by this year’s Legislature, and we need to include every affected group as we develop solutions. I want to make sure that the survivors of the floods are not forgotten, and international cooperation is an important step in our mitigation efforts,” Sefzik said in an email.
Shewmake said that the operating budget includes a “down payment” for long-term planning.
“The reality is that there are so many players — countries, sovereign nations, local jurisdictions, business owners, homeowners — and Nooksack flooding is the challenge of a generation given climate change impacts. So $500,000 will go to local planning and an additional $250,000 to support international planning efforts,” she said.
Shewmake is hosting an online public meeting with local leaders to discuss the issue at 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 16.
This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 1:36 PM.
