Washington state Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, received the Friend of the Floodplains Award from the Floodplains by Design program last week.
The award, presented by Bonneville Environmental Foundation Senior Program Director Kas Guillozet, recognizes Abbarno’s legislative work in helping secure funding for flood-related projects.
During the visit to Centralia, Guillozet emphasized it is in specific recognition of the representative’s work to help fund a $23 million restoration and reclamation project at the Ridgefield Pits in April of last year.
“What set Representative Abarno apart was not just his presence at these events,” Guillozet said. “It's the articulation of the economic benefits of these projects uniquely, and we're at a time where that could not matter more, because we know most dollars from these restoration projects stay within the communities.”
The Ridgefield Pits is a group of nine former gravel mine pits along the East Fork Lewis River in Clark County that inadvertently altered the flow of the river after the disastrous flooding of 1996.
The site became not only an eye sore but an environmental issue, especially concerning vulnerable fish species. The flat portion of the river became stagnant and warm in these pits, becoming a perfect breeding ground for invasive species such as bass that prey on native species such as salmon and steelhead.
According to Guillozet, the project was fueled in large part by community frustration and unity as landowners, community members and the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, among others, came together to advocate for the project.
“It's about flood mitigation, but it's also about habitat restoration, right? And then it's about quality of life,” Abbarno said. “These are kind of projects and programs that are a little bit of both. It's quality of life, and it makes economic sense and I think those are the best kind of projects.”
Floodplains by Design specifically is a program administered by the Washington state Department of Ecology together with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The program and its projects are funded primarily through capital funding grants from the Washington state Legislature.
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