Real Briefings
Whatcom County Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee
Whatcom County Public Works Director Paula Harris delivered a comprehensive presentation reviewing 25 years of flood mitigation projects completed since the 1999 Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan (CFHMP). The presentation showcased eight major projects totaling over $30 million in flood protection investments, demonstrating the county's systematic approach to reducing flood risks across the Nooksack River watershed. Harris highlighted successful collaborations with federal agencies, tribes, and local landowners that leveraged outside funding to complete projects including setback levees, fish passage improvements, and innovative self-regulating tide gates. The presentation emphasized how projects evolved from the original 1999 plan while addressing new challenges like aging infrastructure and changing regulatory requirements for fish habitat protection. Council members raised concerns about ongoing drainage district challenges and the need to integrate flood mitigation planning with comprehensive plan updates and future growth patterns. The discussion revealed tension between agricultural drainage needs and fish habitat protection requirements that continue to impact local farming operations.
**AB2025-496 - Flood Mitigation Projects Presentation:** PRESENTED - No formal votes taken - Informational presentation only - Staff recommendation: Information only - Council action: Received pres…
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**Flood Mitigation Project Review:** Paula Harris provided detailed analysis of eight major flood mitigation projects completed since 1999, including Bertrand Creek levee setbacks ($340,000 with Corps funding), Canyon Creek restoration ($5.6 million with 10% county match), and Jones Creek debris flow protection ($5.5 million with 25% county match). Projects demonstrated successful leveraging of federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Floodplains by Design, and Corps of Engineers funding.
**Aging Infrastructure Challenges:** Discussion focused on systematic replacement of 75-year-old culvert systems with new self-regulating tide gates that provide better fish passage while improving agricultural drainage. Harris explained how new technology allows gates to remain open most of…
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**Paula Harris (Public Works Director):** Emphasized successful grant funding strategies and collaborative approach with tribes, land trusts, and federal agencies. Noted evolution from reactive damage repairs to proactive flood risk reduction through strategic levee setbacks and habitat restoration.
**Council Member Stremler:** Questioned relationship between current projects and original 1999 flood plan, seeking understanding of how priorities evolved over 25 years.
**Council Member Scanlon:** Advocated for better integration bet…
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**Paula Harris, on project timeline challenges:**
"These larger scale projects with many people impacted, much land acquisition and a lot of property impacted take some time."
**Paula Harris, on the 2021 flood response:**
"I was somewhat fortunate that I was late in my career and could jump on that 21 flood and really focus our energy to get to the point that, you know, I feel like in the last three, four years, we've done more to get to this solution than we had in the last 20."
**Council M…
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- July 22, 2025: Committee of the Whole presentation compiling flood risk maps with comprehensive planning data - Ongoing Sumas overflow and Everson area flood mitigation projects in development - …
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The presentation established a comprehensive baseline of completed flood mitigation work since 1999, documenting successful leveraging of $27+ million in outside funding with relatively small county matches. The county demonstrated evolution from reactive flood damage repairs to proactive watershed-scale flood risk reduction strategies.
Council discussion revealed growing recognition of n…
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# A Quarter-Century of Flood Protection: Paula Harris's Final Chapter
## Meeting Overview
On a beautiful July afternoon when flooding seemed like the furthest thing from anyone's mind, the Whatcom County Council's Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee gathered to hear a comprehensive overview of the county's flood mitigation efforts over the past 25 years. Committee Chair Kaylee Galloway called the hybrid meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. on July 8, 2025, with committee members Todd Donovan and Mark Stremler present, along with council members Barry Buchanan, Ben Elenbaas, and Jon Scanlon attending.
The sole item on the agenda was a special presentation from Paula Harris, the county's veteran flood management expert who arrived in 1998 just as the 1999 Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan (CFHMP) was being finalized. What followed was both a technical overview of major infrastructure projects and a personal reflection from someone who has dedicated her career to protecting Whatcom County from the Nooksack River's periodic fury.
Harris's presentation carried particular weight as she approaches retirement, marking the end of an era for someone who has shepherded the county through dozens of flood events and managed the implementation of millions of dollars in flood protection projects. Her encyclopedic knowledge of every culvert, levee, and setback project reflected not just professional expertise, but the deep institutional memory that comes from decades of hands-on flood management.
## The Legacy of Bertrand Creek: Setting the Standard
Harris began her tour through the county's flood protection infrastructure with Bertrand Creek, a project that exemplified the recurring challenges of managing water in an agricultural setting. "Pretty much every flood event caused damage on Bertrand Creek," she explained, describing how the original levees were positioned tight against the creek, making them vulnerable to erosion and catastrophic failure.
The transformation of this system illustrated the evolution in flood management philosophy. Rather than simply repairing damage after each flood, the county worked with the Nooksack Tribe to purchase flood and conservation easements, allowing the levees to be moved back from the creek channel. This approach not only made the infrastructure more resilient but created environmental benefits as well.
"The farmers were actually able to get them enrolled in CREP, and we still had a CREP program in …
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### Meeting Overview
The Whatcom County Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee met on July 8, 2025, for a 35-minute presentation by Public Works staff on flood mitigation projects completed since the 1999 Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan. Paula Harris from Public Works presented an overview of eight major flood mitigation projects implemented over 25 years, including levee setbacks, creek restorations, and infrastructure improvements.
### Key Terms and Concepts
**Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan (CFHMP):** A county-wide planning document adopted in 1999 that identified flood risks and recommended mitigation projects throughout the Nooksack River system.
**Levee setback:** Moving flood control levees farther away from waterways to provide more room for natural flooding and reduce erosion damage while maintaining protection for communities and farmland.
**Self-regulating tide gate:** Modern flood control equipment with sensors that automatically open and close based on water levels, allowing better fish passage and drainage than older manual gates.
**Flood plains By Design:** A grant program that funds large-scale flood mitigation projects that integrate habitat restoration with flood protection.
**Alluvial fan:** A triangular deposit of sediment where a creek flows from mountains onto flatter ground, often creating flood risks due to changing water patterns.
**Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP):** A federal program that provides payments to farmers for retiring environmentally sensitive land from production.
**Debris flow:** A type of landslide where water-saturated debris moves rapidly down slopes, particularly dangerous in mountain valleys.
**Drainage improvement districts:** Local government entities that manage water drainage systems for agricultural areas.
### Key People at This Meeting
| Name | Role / Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Paula Harris | Public Works Department - Flood Mitigation Program |
| Kaylee Galloway | Council Member, Committee Chair |
| Mark Stremler | Council Member |
| Todd Donovan | Council Member |
| Ben Elenbaas | Council Member |
| Jon Scanlon | Council Member |
| Barry Buchanan | Council Member |
| Aly P…
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