Ephrata eyes mitigation plan to address flood zone designation

EPHRATA — Ephrata City Council members last week authorized a grant application that could fund preparation of a “flood hazard mitigation plan” for a significant portion of Ephrata’s downtown area.

If received, the funding would pay for the city’s consulting engineering firm, Gray & Osborne Inc., to develop the mitigation plan — considered the first step in an involved process ultimately aimed at removing 533 acres from a federally designated flood zone.

That flood plain designation has long inhibited remodeling and new construction in the downtown corridor because of more-stringent building codes and resulted in residents paying higher costs for homeowners’ insurance.

With the council’s action, Ephrata will request $112,500 in grant funding from the Grant County Economic Development Council’s Strategic Infrastructure Program. The city will provide a 25% match valued at $37,500 as in-kind staff work on the project, according to city engineer Shawn O’Brien and grants/projects engineer Dave Bren.

If the grant is received and a mitigation plan prepared, it could make the city eligible for “non-disaster flood mitigation grants” from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The plan would also enable the city to pursue funding options for phased construction of a flood-diversion design by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dating back to 1972.

Snowmelt and heavy rains in the Sagebrush Flats area west of Ephrata have created a water runoff channel that enters town adjacent to First Avenue N.W. In years past, a so-called “100-year flood” could inundate the low-lying downtown area west of the railroad tracks. 

But that has largely been averted over the past half-century by an unlined diversion channel excavated in 1974 which traverses over the West Canal. Water runoff is now diverted northward parallel to the canal, then turns east and terminates in a farm field between Frey Road and North Basin Street/State Route 28. 

The existing channel is a “critical public facility” that “acts as a flood water shield for the city,” but it needs concrete lining improvements as shown in the Army Corps’ plan, O’Brien wrote in the summary.

During their June 3 meeting, Bren also told council members that updated state mapping of Grant County has provided more-precise elevation data of the downtown area. With that information, he believes that 175 acres is “impossible to flood … (and) unfairly included” in the designated 533-acre zone.

Bren said it would be a “massive benefit” if the city can get some or all of the area removed from the designation.

“Now’s the time,” he said.

In other business last week, council members:

—    Addressed the quandary: what will city staff do if residents and property owners want to pay their bills with cash, but pennies are no longer readily available to provide exact change. 

The council approved a resolution submitted by finance director Kristen McDonnell that allows staff to credit the customer’s account, thereby accounting for every penny received.

Last November, the U.S. Mint stopped production of pennies. Existing pennies remain legal tender, but McDonnell noted that many government entities and businesses are evaluating cash-rounding policies to address situations when 1-cent coins are no longer readily available.

Ephrata amended its 2026 fee schedule to round all fees to the nearest 5 cents, but water and sewer bills don’t always equate to that amount. Crediting up to 4 cents to the customers’ utility accounts was deemed a solution with the least financial implication to both the public and the city.

Non-cash transactions by check, bank cards, or online payment systems will continue to be processed to the exact penny, the resolution states.

—    Directed city staff to further research consideration of an ordinance governing temporary placement of political campaign signs in public spaces, including city parks.

It’s an election year, and it’s possible such signs will appear. In the past, city administrator Towry said candidates have been “nicely” asked to not place signs in Ephrata parks.

But Towry said a policy or ordinance could address establishing a balance of “free speech protections, public safety, administrative feasibility, and enforceability.”

—    Welcomed newly commissioned police officer Romen Hernandez, who was sworn in by Mayor Steve Oliver. Hernandez’s badge was pinned on by his wife, Frances, and watched by their two daughters, other family members, and a large contingent of fellow officers and police chief Erik Koch.

Hernandez is a 2015 graduate of Ephrata High School and a U.S. Navy veteran serving as a hospital corpsman from 2015-2021 that included three years with a Marines battalion and later as a hospital liaison at a medical center in Germany.

Prior to joining the police department last June, he worked as a nursing assistant with the Ephrata School District. “Serving others has always been a passion of mine, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue that mission in law enforcement,” said Hernandez.