WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. – Mayors of Whatcom County’s small cities are frustrated with water management policies in the Nooksack basin and they’re letting state officials know about it.
Their open letter to the directors of Ecology, Fish and Wildlife, Agriculture and Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz says November flooding and last summer’s heat wave show action needs to be taken.
Lynden Mayor Scott Korthuis says all options to deal with fluctuating river levels need to be on the table.
“It is moving the levees over. Is that really a possibility? Is making the floodway larger a good solution? Is sediment removal a good solution? Is storage a good solution? Are all of these together the best solution?” said Korthuis. “I don’t know but we need to start to talk with these agencies again.”
The letter accuses the agencies of focusing too much on issues like water rights and stream buffers at the expense of salmon, farms and families.
The mayors of Everson, Nooksack, Sumas, Lynden and Ferndale signed onto the letter.
You can listen to the full interview with Mayor Korthuis on our Podcast page.