Save the Chehalis River: World Rivers Day

September 26, 2021

“World Rivers Day is a Celebration of the World’s Waterways!”

Millions of people around the globe come together annually on the fourth Sunday of September to increase public awareness of rivers and encourage better stewardship of these precious resources. In solidarity with the millions who show up, the Chehalis River Alliance is proud to be hosting a free online viewing of Chehalis: A Watershed Moment created by our allies Pacific Rivers.

World Rivers Day is a great reason to watch (or re-watch!) this beautiful, important film about the river, fish, and people of the Chehalis Basin as they grapple with climate change and flooding and work to prevent a misguided dam from being built in the upper watershed.

The video is available through Monday, September 27 and the password to watch it online is: watershed .

The password to watch the film online is: watershed — The password to watch the film online is: *watershed*

Take Action for the Chehalis Basin

We are also asking our allies, supporters, and fellow concerned citizens to contact Governor Jay Inslee and the Chehalis Basin Board and let them know that you support a no-dam alternative for all residents of the Chehalis Basin.

If you would like a more thorough overview of the current situation regarding the proposed flood retention expandable facility (FRE, or more simply a dam), take some time to explore the Chehalis River Alliance website.

Talking points and Contact Information

Please feel free to discuss these points, just be sure to restate in your own words.

Thank you for your help and support.

Alternatives to the Dam

It is time to move beyond the divisions of the past to a consensus pathway that protects our communities, restores fish runs, and creates jobs. The good news is that we can get to work today to reduce flooding impacts. Proven, shovel-ready projects that qualify for state and federal funding include:

Elevating homes, businesses, and utilities so they are above floodwater levels and keep people are out of harm’s way;
Replacing small culverts with bigger ones, to prevent dangerous backups and flooding where roads cross streams;
Allowing uninhabited areas to flood, which slows down flood waves heading for settled areas, stores water in the ground for summer use, and restores soil for farming;
Restoring streamside areas with trees and shrubs so they soak up floodwaters, slow flood waves and erosion, and provide better salmon habitat;
Paying a fair price to property owners who are tired of living or working in the floodplain and want to sell their property and invest in real estate outside of the floodplain;
Locating new businesses and homes in flood-safe areas, and using smart development in towns—like permeable pavement, rain gardens and intensive tree planting—to prevent runoff from contributing to floods.

Loss of Wildlife

If the dam proposal becomes a reality, we can expect the following:

Loss of a major spawning area for spring Chinook salmon, one of the most imperiled salmon species in the Chehalis River Basin and an important food source for the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. Both the NEPA and SEPA studies clearly stated that salmon runs in the Chehalis are projected to drop by 80% if the dam is built. Right now, the Chehalis River remains one of Washington’s most important salmon producing rivers. For salmon and the Southern Residents, it needs to remain this way.

Loss of habitat connectivity for species currently residing in the Chehalis River Basin. Wildlife species will no longer be able to move from one portion/patch of habitat to another in order to meet daily and seasonal survival needs. Maintaining connectivity is more difficult in landscapes where there has been habitat loss and degradation due to human land use activities (e.g., conversion of native forest to tree plantations or agricultural or urban uses), and when large barriers to movement such as highways have been constructed, e.g., the role of Interstate 5 in blocking movement of wildlife between the Cascades, southwest Washington, and the Olympics. This is unacceptable given the rate at which the climate is changing and the need for wildlife movement to adapt to that change, restricted movement along riparian corridors can lead to higher rates of extirpation and extinction.

Environmental Justice

Last year, the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis and the Quinault Nation expressed opposition against the proposed dam. In their letter, the Quinault Nation stated, “that their Federally Protected Treaty Rights need to be honored, noting the “Treaty of Olympia (1856) by which it reserved, among other things, the right of “taking fish, at all usual and accustomed fishing grounds and stations”. The harm to the salmon runs would violate treaty rights of the Nation.”

Best Available Science

While we applaud the recent adoption of ‘no net loss’ by the Chehalis Basin Board, we would like to see instead the use of “net ecological gain” as the standard, especially since this was recommended in 2019 by Governor Inslee’s Southern Resident Orca Task Force. Meeting this standard ensures that any new developments are required to increase the amount of habitat restored instead of just restoring what was lost.

We would like to see the Chehalis Basin Strategy use the most relevant and up-to-date climate change research, in environmental reviews, decision making, and forecasting analyses. We cannot expect positive and favorable outcomes by using outdated data and strategies. Our past actions have led us to the current climate and extinction crises we find ourselves in; therefore, it is imperative that we use forward thinking strategies, based on current science to ensure a safer and better future for all.