Okanogan County Commissioners address revised flood plain ordinance draft

Okanogan County Planning Director Stephanie “Pete” Palmer.

MIKE MALTAIS/WARD MEDIA

OKANOGAN – The Okanogan County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) got their first look at the new draft of the county’s revised Flood Plain Management Ordinance at their Jan. 27 meeting.

County Planning Director Stephanie “Pete” Palmer said the first draft included edits suggested by the state Department of Ecology (DOE) following a community assistance visit to the county. Palmer said she also distributed a copy of the draft to the planning commission. The BOCC will conduct study sessions with suggestions from the planning commission before voting on the proposed changes.

The extent of the revisions to consider is summed up in the response of new District 1 Commissioner Nick Timm.

“It’s a lot of edits,” Timm said.

The DOE visit also included a compliance component.

“We started with 15 sites where they felt that development had happened in the flood plain,” said Palmer. “We found that none had been issued permits through the county.”

As the county resolves those compliance items, the BOCC will address larger areas along the Okanogan River, now included in the new flood plain designations. Advancements in technology have new maps expanding flood zones across the country. Even residents who have lived for decades on property that has never flooded could now find themselves included in a flood zone.

“That’s because the maps are based on risk, not history,” one specialist said. “With more extreme weather events, that risk is only increasing.”

Pateros and Methow River

The new flood plain studies have had consequences for areas besides the Okanogan River.

In 2023, FEMA advised Pateros that portions of the city adjacent to the Methow River were included in its new flood plain analysis.

“They were using only the data put of the Methow Valley and watershed to predict the flood plain in Pateros,” said City Administrator Jord Wilson. The initial FEMA plan that came out included all the lower fill area from Warren Street to Peninsula and out Dam plays in water flow regulation.

Wilson pointed out that the dam has responded quickly to major water events like the 1972 flood. In May 2018, the county again experienced its worst flooding since ’72. High water levels at the confluence of the Okanogan and Methow rivers did not affect Pateros as Wells Dam adjusted its downstream water release.

FEMA later concurred with Wilson and removed the added flood plain areas in Pateros.

Brewster and Swamp Creek

FEMA also contacted Brewster last year about a potential major event in the Rat Lake/Swamp Creek drainage.

“In the past we have had some rain events that have caused some flooding,” said Director of Finance Misty Ruiz. “There is drainage that goes under some of the businesses and the highway, so it floods right there.”

An expanded flood plain designation took in a large portion of the city, including a PUD facility.

In February 2024, the Brewster Public Works Director sent an advisory to the Okanogan PUD about “documents from FEMA regarding updated flood mapping…the flood maps place the Brewster substation within the boundary of a 100-year event.”

The city teamed up with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and other resources to come up with a mitigation plan to alter and contain the drainage waters and resolve FEMA concerns. It is now pursuing a $20 million grant to carry out the plan.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media