Another rainy season is just around the corner, and for many people in the Chehalis River Basin that means getting ready for fall and winter fishing and making sure they are signed up for flood alerts from the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority.

As members of the independent Chehalis Basin Board, we understand the flooding and habit challenges facing the Basin. Over the past century, salmon runs have declined dramatically, and floods have been bigger, more frequent and more dangerous.

Since 2017, our state has invested nearly $340 million in the Chehalis Basin Strategy – the long-term action plan to protect Basin communities from devastating floods and recover salmon, steelhead and other aquatic life.

Now, the next chapter in this critical effort is being written – and we need your input to invest wisely and build a stronger future for our communities, economy and environment for decades to come.

The Board is responsible for carrying out the Strategy and we work hand in hand with the Office of Chehalis Basin within the Washington Department of Ecology. Our members represent the Flood Authority, Quinault Indian Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation and the Basin’s agricultural, economic and environment interests.

Working with a broad coalition of partners – especially willing landowners, local conservation districts, Tribes and state agencies – we have approved and overseen more than 140 successful projects now safeguarding hundreds more Basin homes and businesses from flooding and restoring hundreds of new acres of habitat for salmon and other species.

All these projects were done on time and on budget. They include funding the Fry Creek and Ramer Street pump stations in Aberdeen and Hoquiam, actions to keep the Montesano Wastewater Treatment Plant from being breached by the Wynoochee River and helping secure $35.5 million in state grant funding for the Aberdeen-Hoquiam Flood Protection Project.

We also approved floodproofing dozens of homes, buildings, farms, wells and public infrastructure, directed the installation of 13 new high-water alert gauges, and authorized projects to restore 9.9 miles of river shoreline, correct 56 fish passage barriers, and protect more than 360 acres of floodplain habitat.

These projects benefit every community, the Basin’s 200,000 residents, and all the waters we share.

Now the Board is evaluating how much more to spend on aquatic habitat restoration, whether to build levees in and around Centralia and Chehalis, the best pathway for the existing Skookumchuck River dam, and whether to construct a unique flow-through dam on the Chehalis River near Pe Ell to control flooding.

We are holding an open house with the Office of Chehalis Basin on Wednesday, Oct. 8, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Montesano City Hall, 112 N. Main St, in Montesano. This event will give residents the opportunity to learn more about the Strategy and the progress we have made, details about the options we are considering, and to share your feedback.

If you can’t make the Oct. 8 event, we are also holding an online open house at https://openhouse.officeofchehalisbasin.com now through Oct. 31. Visitors can explore at their own pace and provide input from anywhere on the site.

Our goal is to have safe, flood-prepared communities, abundant salmon and steelhead, and strong, nature-based economies for future generations. We know what happens in the Chehalis River Basin matters to all of Washington — and beyond. We look forward to hearing from you.

Vickie Raines chairs the Chehalis Basin Board and represents District No. 3 on the Grays Harbor County Board of County Commissioners.

Chehalis Basin Board member Tyson Johnston is a councilman for the Quinault Indian Nation.