Group of Washington state mayors urge action after November flooding disaster

The Whatcom County mayors allege that a water management "crisis" for the Nooksack River has gone "virtually unnoticed," and their constituents have paid the price.

A group of small city mayors in Whatcom County have penned a letter to four Washington state departments, urging action in the aftermath of last year’s floods.

The mayors of Everson, Ferndale, Lynden, Nooksack, Sumas, and Blaine allege that a water management “crisis” for the Nooksack River has gone “virtually unnoticed,” and their constituents have paid the price.

“We urge you to shift your focus to the crisis at hand and help those of us who are committed to protecting the environment, fish, farms and the families who depend on us,” they write.

The Feb. 7 letter calls on the directors of the departments of ecology, natural resources, fish and wildlife, and agriculture to prioritize their concerns and meet with them.

The mayors said extreme weather brought “triple devastation” to their communities last year.

Record-breaking heat in the summer damaged crops and strained dairy cattle, and in September, low water flow levels contributed to the deaths of more than 2,500 salmon in the South Fork and Nooksack rivers alone, they wrote.

Between Nov. 14 and 15, catastrophic floods struck the region as the Nooksack River overflowed, causing significant damage to homes and infrastructure in the U.S. cities, all found south of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

In addition to property damage, the mayors said one person and more than 50 animals died. Livestock stood in the floodwaters for days without rest, they added, and salmon flushed from streams were left to die in farm fields.