Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 1, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 8     (8 of 22 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 8     (8 of 22 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
December 1, 2011
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




I Courtesy Photo The Mason County Department of Emergency Management is working with several state agencies to better predict floods in the Skokomish Valley, such as the 2007 flood shown here. Mason County works to improve flood forecasting in Skok Valley By NATALIE JOHNSON HWe simply have It's no secret that the Skokomish River Valley faces persistent flooding each fall Much |mi too water and winter, bad places What While agencies such ms the U.S. Army •- * Corps of Engineers, alomg with the Ma- we're trvi to son Conservation District, the Skokom- j- ng ~v ish Tribe and other organizations, are re- searching ways to stop flooding in the val- iS find out what the ley, Mason County and several other state elati.i " and local agencies are working to better corr on s .o. predict flood levels before they strand resi- dents in the Skokomish Valley. their predictions. The Mason County Department of "We have new flood depth markers in Emergency Management, along with the the valley- we physically drive out there," National Weather Service (NWS), the Best said. "We're establishing the depths United States Geological Service (USGS) of water with what the gauge is reading. and the Northwest River Forecast Center What we're trying to do is come up with a (RFC) as well as the City of Tacoma, which way of being more accurate." owns the Cushman Dam, met on Oct. 26 to The main problem decreasing the accu- discuss ways to better predict Skokomish racy of predictions is that floodwaters flow River levels during a flood, over the banks and levees of the Skokom- "We simply have too much water in bad ish River in Potlatch and down river dur- places," said Martin Best, Mason County's ing a flood event, making water depth not emergency management director. "What necessarily the most accurate way to mea- we're trying to do is find out what the cor- sure a flood in the valley, he said. rolation is, what we're calling the sum of "The USGS says it cannot rate the the forks ... and what it means to flooding gauge depths and flows because of the in the main stem." overtopping of the levees," Best said. Right now, the Skokomish River is Best said the volume, rather than depth determined to be at flood level when the of water, measured in cubic feet per sec- water depth at Potlatch reaches 16.5 feet. ond, in the Skokomish River best predicts The county wants to understand how that a flood event. depth corrolates to the depth of floodwa- The average volume of water flowing ter through other parts of the valley, Best through the Skokomish River is 400 cubic said. The county and other agencies in- feet per second. On Monday, the river's volved want to compare water levels at flow was at 2,540 cubic feet per second. On Potlatch with water levels at the north Friday, Nov. 23, the river was flowing at and south forks of the river. 15,000 cubic feet per second. "At 16.5 feet, based on physical observa- During the weekend, the flood level tions, I know how much water is over the got to 17.2 feet at Potlatch and there was roads in certain locations," he said. "When almost 4 feet of standing water on the I see a forcast saying the river is going to Skokomish Valley Road, Best said. be at 17 feet I can send out an advisory to For the time being, flood prediction will residents." remain the same in Mason County, but County workers physically mark flood- the county is moving toward a more effec- waters to compare actual flood levels with tive prediction system, Best said. Located on Hwy. 101 between Shelton & OI Page A-8 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, December 1,201 t Skokomish Park, formerly Lake Cushman State Park and Cushman, will reopen in 2012 with improvements, Skokomish Tribe. Tribe celebrates new begin with opening of Skokomish By NATALIE JOHNSON Skokomish Tribal Council has much more than monet The Skokomish Tribe plans to open "It's a piece that has a the former Camp Cushman as Skokom-value, physical value and ] ish Park at Lake Cushman, but the name to all of us," he said. "The won't be the only change, is invaluable -~ In Spring 2012 the camp will open the meaning of what that with renovations to campsites and a the tribe and the natural auditorium, among other things, cestors were there for 10,00 said Jonathan Schmitt, the director of Specific alterations and marketing for Skokomish Park. the park are still in the The new park, managed by Skokom- Miller said. ish Indian Tribal Enterprises, will also "The park itself and the include historical markers and exhibits still things that are in which will display the long history of the phase," he said. "We land when it was an "ancestral home- determinations on how we land" of the Skokomish people, he said. mold anything there for "That is a part of the plan - to add or the tribe." some descriptions of the significance Palmer took over a of that area to the Skokomish tribe," new ranger for Skokomish Schmitt said. already In 2009 the Tacoma Power and the "I think it's a great Skokomish Tribe signed a settlement a very positive thing for agreement, which included $5.8 billion in Tribe," he said. "It's great damages. The settlement included a one open to the public." time $12.6 million payment, 7.25 of the After recent wind storm= value of electricity produced at the Cush- he used downed trees to man Dam and $23 million worth of land, and log barriers. including the 520-acre Camp Cushman The park has 82 camp property, ing 30 RV sites and 50 tent Park Ranger Patrick Palmer said the park will operate much resolution of the dispute has been a great park, he said. More opportunity for the tribe to get the valu- camping can be found at able land back, com, he said. "There's been a dispute with Tacoma "It's a great power for over 80 years over this property because this is a beloved because this used to be ancestral tribal "I grew up in Mason lands," he said. kid I always looked Charles "Guy" Miller, Chairman of the here and playing 229 S. Ist St Downtown Shelton Monday- Friday 10:00 a.m, - 7:00 p~m. Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p,m. CLOSED SUNDAY 360-427-1277 Child for All Kids 12 Years & Younge * FREE Entertainment • Hot Dogs • Soda • Cookies & with Girls Bikes Helmets • Santa will be giving away stockings filled with goodies! Drawings for Prizes! Join the Fun - Doors Open 11:00 a.m. Saturday, December 10th, 2011 Elks Lodge #2467 741 SE C ad • '.i y photo S land is to : an- to it is ~sion any to the has it's said t the as a