WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. – Removing gravel from the Nooksack River has been a hot topic in the wake of the November floods.
The Whatcom County Council has begun to take a look at the practice that had been done during dry months in the past.
Councilmember Rud Browne gave a presentation on Tuesday, December 7th, about the process used to mine gravel along parts of the Willamette River in Oregon.
“There are areas where the river had abandoned that part of the landscape and left large deposits of gravel,” said Browne. “And there are parts of the Nooksack where those gravel deposits could be easily twenty feet above the high water mark.”
He told the Council’s Natural Resources Committee that gravel mining some of these areas can actually benefit the health of the river.
That occurs when the excavation creates a detention area that can help mitigate flooding but also hold water that can leech back into the river during dry months.
And he says mining gravel in this way can help save farmland that would otherwise be dug up for gravel pits.
“I hope what comes out of this is a willingness by all parties to look at all options that will get us to a combination of managing the flood risk and preserving and protecting or enhancing salmon habitat,” said Browne.
The council has held off on a resolution to eliminate barriers to removing gravel from the river until all interested parties, including local tribes, can be brought into the discussion.