When the Nooksack floods, it severely affects the citizens residing on or near the floodplain areas. Flooding washes away fertile topsoil, and deposits woody debris, gravel, and silt, leaving agricultural lands depleted of nutrients and covered with debris. Rising waters also flood rural houses as well as some urban and suburban areas.
To prevent flood damages, many residents have built dikes to protect their land and houses from the floods. However, since the rising water has to flow somewhere, flood-waters generally are diverted to neighboring lands. "Dike wars" have plagued the countryside, each neighbor trying to build higher dikes to protect their land. In previous flood years, breaking dikes have caused the most serious flood damage in the past. A series of dikes built to protect the towns of Lynden and Ferndale have inadvertently caused flooding in the Sumas area, crossing the Canadian Border and threatening homes in Abbottsford, as well.
In addition to building dikes, residents have removed gravel from the riverbed, in hopes of creating a larger path for the river to travel, and profiting economically from the sale of gravel. Some citizen groups complain that gravel removal disturbs salmon habitat, as most spawning salmon lay eggs in undisturbed gravel. Furthermore, removing gravel straightens the river path, causing more erosion downstream.
A flood control advisory board has been created to develop a flood control plan which appeases all players in the issue. The tentative plan, six years in the making, calls for:
| PLAYERS | POSITIONS AND BELIEFS | VALUES |
|---|---|---|
| Floodplain residents | Flooding needs to end Flooding is destructive and costly | Economic Egocentric |
| Farmers | Prevent flooding, esp. on own land Flooding removes topsoil, leaves costly debris | Economic Egocentric |
| County Residents (not threatened by floods) | Flood
protection is costly! Tax dollars drained for repairs. Bellingham Residents pay more than fair share! | Economic Egocentric |
| Residents whose dikes will be lowered | New plan unfair, as
residents have spent upwards of $20,000 building dikes and fear they won't be reimbursed, lands will be flooded | Economic
Egocentric |
| Canadian Residents | Better flood control necessary Dikes erected to prevent flooding in Lynden and Ferndale now cause water to spill into Sumas and across borders into Abbottsford | Legal Economic Egocentric |
| Federal Officials | Flood protection projects not
feasable. Won't protect area with flood control projects because projects more expensive than property values | Economic Political |
| Lummi Natural Resource Group | Flood prevention projects
acceptable only if they take a holistic approach. Salmon depend on Nooksack spawning grounds | Aesthetic Economic Ecological |
| Dept of Fish and Wildlife | Want fish friendly solutions | Ecological Political |
NOTE: This table provides only a minimum of information on values and beliefs -- you are urged to give more detail than this!!
Pizillo, E. (1998). When the River Rises: a five-part series. Bellingham Herald (March 8-13).