January flooding in the Chehalis River Basin put local flood protection projects to the test. Elevated farm pads, beefed up pumping stations, flood vents, and log jacks for riverbank stabilization are among the investments that cities, counties, and individual property owners have made with help from the state. The director of the Office of Chehalis Basin under the Washington State Department of Ecology joins host Mike McClanahan to discuss how local flood mitigation investments performed against widespread flooding. They also discuss the ongoing efforts to find long-term solutions to extreme flooding and fish habitat loss in the basin including a new study involving the Skookumchuck Dam.
Later in the episode, attorney Rob Mitchell joins us to discuss how COVID-19 has impacted policies governing cameras in court and resulted in more access.
“There’s been a fair bit of skepticism all the way up to the US Supreme Court about the potential for distortion, distraction, a lack of decorum and so forth,” said Mitchell.