Situation Assessment, 2018 - 2019
Changes to the Spirit Lake/Toutle-Cowlitz River System from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens put the region at ongoing risk of moderate and potentially catastrophic flooding, due to the buildup of sediment. Engineering measures from the 1980s to reduce flooding risks now need costly repairs or modifications, presenting an opportunity to re-evaluate risk management strategies.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) asked the Center in 2018 to conduct a situation assessment for long-term risk management, given the different economic, cultural, and social priorities of regional stakeholders and the respective roles of federal, tribal, state, and local authorities and other groups in the region.
The Situation Assessment for the Long-Term Management of Spirit Lake/Toutle-Cowlitz River System report summarizes an interview-based assessment process. The assessment explored prospects for a collaborative system-level entity to identify resources and additional information needed to inform long-term management decisions. The assessment found conditions favorable to a collaborative process.
Spirit Lake/Toutle-Cowlitz Rivers Collaborative, April 2021 – Present
Representatives of the U.S. congressional delegation, Cowlitz Tribe, and state and federal agencies expressed support for a collaborative approach to long-term sediment management and related issues. The watershed-wide consortium is intended to benefit current and long-term planning efforts to address sediment and land management, public safety, and other important issues.
As initially envisioned, the goals for meetings in 2021-2022 include:
- Identify parties’ interest in, and willingness to commit to, a long-term collaborative.
- Identify common interests and desired outcomes for:
- Important issues, challenges, and opportunities for involved parties.
- Discussions related to ongoing efforts, information needs, and potential partnerships.
And, if support emerges for key parties to commit to a system-level, long-term collaborative:
- Define purposes and goals.
- Develop timelines and benchmarks.
- Identify necessary short-term funding and staffing.
- Draft basic operating structures, preliminary commitments from involved parties, and funding options.
Meeting Materials & Schedule
See below for past meeting materials and upcoming meeting dates through the end of the calendar year. All meetings will be held online until January of 2022, when they will likely be held in-person in Kelso, WA.
If you are interested in the work of the Collaborative and would like to observe a meeting, please contact the project coordinator, Kara Whitman at kmwhitman@wsu.edu.
- April 28, 2021
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Meeting Materials:
- Agenda (pdf)
- Meeting Notes (pdf)
- PowerPoint Presentation (pdf)
- USDA & USFS YouTube Video: “Mount St. Helens Eruption, Spirit Lake and Toutle River Watershed”
- June 2, 2021
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Meeting Materials:
- July 8, 2021
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Meeting Materials:
- September 9, 2021
Meeting Materials
- SLTCRC_09-09-21 agenda-draft
- 9.9.21 Declaration of Cooperation_all comments
- STCRSC Slides 09-09-21 meeting
- SLTCR Meeting DRAFT Notes 9.9.21
Examples of Declaration’s of Cooperation for Reference
- Declaration of Cooperation Tillamook Basin Flooding Reduction Project
- Declaration of Cooperation Lower Columbia Solutions Group
- Historic Columbia River Highway Collaborative Declaration of Cooperation
*Please contact Kara Whitman (kmwhitman@wsu.edu) for WebEx information if you wish to attend the meeting.
- October 14, 2021
Meeting materials
- SLTCRC_10_14_21 Draft Agenda draft
- Draft Summary from the September 9th, 3021 Meeting (See September meeting Folder)
- 10_07_21 Draft Declaration of Cooperation
- STCRSC Meeting Slides 10-14-21
WebEx information sent out to participants on October 7th, 2021*.
*If you wish to attend this meeting, but do not have the WebEx attendance information please contact Kara Whitman (kmwhitman@wsu.edu) for details.
- November 11, 2021
Materials forthcoming.
- December 9, 2021
Materials forthcoming.
Resources
- The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018. A Decision Framework for Managing the Spirit Lake and Toutle River System at Mount St. Helens.
- Grant, Major, and Lewis, 2020. The Geologic, Geomorphic, and Hydrologic Context Underlying Options for Long-Term Management of the Spirit Lake Outlet Near Mount St. Helens, Washington (pdf).
- Grant, Major, Mosbrucker, and Sweeney, 2020. A Multidecade Analysis of Fluvial Geomorphic Evolution of the Spirit Lake Blockage, Mount St. Helens, Washington.
- Spirit Lake Toutle Cowlitz River Flyover Video