By Pepper Fisher
SEQUIM — The state Board of Natural Resources on Monday, June 4 unanimously approved a land transfer to Clallam County for the construction of the Dungeness Off-Channel Reservoir and a new county park. The 404-acre parcel, previously state Trust Land, is located south of Highway 101 near Sequim, and is bordered by River Road on the east and the Dungeness River on the west.
Clallam County Commissioner Mark Ozias has been a huge advocate of the effort, arguing the reservoir will improve fish habitat in the Dungeness River, support agricultural needs, and provide a buffer against climate change, especially in years of low snowpack.
“Taking ownership of this parcel has been a significant component of this project. Now that this is complete I expect this is going to facilitate a fair amount of the remainder of steps of the process that need to be done. We’ve been working on obtaining this parcel since at least 2016, so it’s been a multi, multi-year process and I’m really happy to see that we’ve achieved this milestone.”
So, what’s next? The exact design details are still being worked out, but the reservoir will basically be a giant hole in the ground with an earthen berm on one or more sides. The height and construction of the berm will depend on what is learned from their ongoing seismic study of the land. Folks living downhill of the reservoir have, understandably, raised some concerns about that.
“There’s not anything that’s of majorly significant concern. However, we have learned enough that it is causing us to look at, you know, sort of moving the reservoir a little bit, or maybe even splitting it into two components. That is still in the works, in order to make sure that we’re avoiding, and designing around, any potential seismic characteristics that the site might have.”
Ozias says there is a fair amount of cleanup to be done in one area of the property that was long used as a dump. He says there are sufficient funds in place to complete that process and the design phase, but the money needed to build the 404-acre facility, which will include a new county park with hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, and river access, is still needed.
“We have several different applications out. The most significant one right now is a funding application out to FEMA through their Hazard Mitigation Program, and our application has made it to the final round in this particular round. We’re waiting to hear back. My recollection is that that would be about 20 million dollars worth of funding and, if that comes forward, that would provide the bulk of what we need in order to complete the project.”
Ozias says we should know whether we will get that grant by the end of the year. And he hopes by sometime this fall to be begin the public outreach process with updates on design, funding and timeline.