Brewster to address new FEMA flood plain designation

BREWSTER – The Brewster City Council approved two resolutions at its regular monthly meeting last Thursday, August 18, the Okanogan County All Hazard Mitigation Plan (OCAHMP) and an updated Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan through 2028.

The 282-page OCAHMP Volume I was created during 2006 by the Okanogan County Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee in conjunction with Northwest Management, Inc. of Moscow, Idaho. It addresses potential hazards including floods, landslides, earthquakes, and severe weather that may occur throughout the county. Volume II is the 255-page Okanogan County Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

The council also approved a signature application for Mayor Art Smyth that will be submitted to the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) regarding a flooding issue that city officials want to address.

“The letter is to request a study of the watershed and the drainage itself,” said Webster, “the very first step in the process.”

The city has been working on a flooding issue in the Rat Lake drainage area north of Brewster. Finance Director Misty Ruiz and Public Works Director Lee Webster had discussed plans to address the matter in the a few years but recent developments by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) have moved up that timetable.

FEMA updated its old analysis data to more current figures and the agency’s new projections show a larger flood plain and floodway for the City of Brewster than previous numbers designated.

“The numbers we got back from FEMA as far as flood volume and depth are pretty scary,” Webster said.

The larger flood plain would require the majority of city property owners to purchase flood insurance. To head off that eventuality the city is approaching NRCS for help with defining and mitigating any existing flood potential, satisfy FEMA’s concerns, and retain its present flood plain boundaries.

“We are required to adopt what they call a floodway, and we don’t want to,” Webster said.

In other business:

• J-U-B Engineers representative Michelle Johnson updated the council on the status of the city’s well water and wastewater projects.

• The city has received a voter drop box from the county. Location and installation steps are pending.

• Chamber of Commerce president Mike Mauk thanked the city and parks department for help with the annual Brewster Salmon Derby.