Chehalis Strategy in review: Above the flood — Elevated pads keep livestock and equipment dry

In December 2007, a record-setting flood deluged the Chehalis Basin, causing $930 million in total damages. Basin agriculture also suffered, losing livestock, production rates and equipment. In response, Lewis County and Grays Harbor conservation districts, along with the Washington State Conservation Commission, came together with farmers to design an approach that could prevent future agricultural losses during flood events. From 2011 through 2016, the districts, the commission and basin farmers designed and permitted elevated farm pads and evacuation routes on properties susceptible to flooding. Working with the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority, the Chehalis Basin Strategy provided $866,000 to construct 20 farm pads and evacuation routes in Lewis County and three in Grays Harbor County. By fall 2017, all 23 of the elevated structures were complete. In part because of these structures, when the next record-setting flood occurred in the Basin in January 2022, there were no reported losses of animals or farm equipment.

Source: Chehalis Strategy in review: Above the flood — Elevated pads keep livestock and equipment dry | The Chronicle