This document contains Wild Fish Conservancy’s formal comments on the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Chehalis River Basin Flood Damage Reduction Project, submitted to the Washington Department of Ecology on February 4, 2026. The comments detail significant concerns regarding the project’s environmental impacts, including harm to fish and wildlife, flawed sediment and hydrologic modeling, construction feasibility and water rights constraints, landslide and safety risks, and the projected permanent loss of Spring Chinook salmon in the upper basin. The letter also challenges the use of hatchery production as mitigation and argues that the proposal would result in unmitigable adverse impacts inconsistent with state law and the Public Trust Doctrine.
Resource:
Comments on the Proposed Chehalis River Basin Flood Damage Reduction Project Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement
This document contains Wild Fish Conservancy’s formal comments on the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Chehalis River Basin Flood Damage Reduction Project, submitted to the Washington Department of Ecology on February 4, 2026. The comments detail significant concerns regarding the project’s environmental impacts, including harm to fish and wildlife, flawed sediment and hydrologic modeling, construction feasibility and water rights constraints, landslide and safety risks, and the projected permanent loss of Spring Chinook salmon in the upper basin. The letter also challenges the use of hatchery production as mitigation and argues that the proposal would result in unmitigable adverse impacts inconsistent with state law and the Public Trust Doctrine.