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.pES..rp r,y Kittitas County, Washington <br /> pS�t• L <br /> BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br /> District One District Two District Three <br /> ;tTY Cory Wright Laura Osiadacz Brett Wachsmith <br /> November 10,2025 <br /> Wendy L. Shaw, P.E. <br /> Risk Analysis Branch Chief <br /> Mitigation Division <br /> FEMA Region 10 <br /> RE: Extension Request for Flood Risk Review Comment Period <br /> Dear Ms. Shaw, <br /> On Thursday,October 23,2025, Kittitas County staff met with representatives from FEMA's <br /> mapping partner, STAR I1,for a Flood Risk Review(FRR) meeting. During this meeting,the STAR <br /> 11 team presented the results of newly restudied areas outside the City of Cie Elum and multiple <br /> creeks within the Kittitas Valley area,encompassing both unincorporated Kittitas County and the <br /> City of Cie Kittitas. <br /> At the FRR meeting, we were informed that comments from local jurisdictions on the presented <br /> materials are due by November 24,2025. To date,we have not received formal written notification <br /> regarding this comment period. During the meeting,and subsequently by email, Kittitas County <br /> requested additional technical documentation to facilitate our review and preparation of comments. <br /> Specifically,we requested two technical reports and the hydraulic model associated with the Kittitas <br /> Valley study area. We have not received the requested materials.This lack of response appears to be <br /> associated with the ongoing federal government shutdown. <br /> Given that the requested documentation has not been made available and is necessary to conduct a <br /> complete and technically sound review,Kittitas County respectfully requests an extension of the <br /> comment period to at least thirty(30)days following receipt of the requested materials. <br /> Kittitas County and the City of Kittitas support FEMA's stated objective of developing useful, <br /> credible data through a fair and transparent process that enables informed decision-making regarding <br /> flood risk in our communities. Your correspondence dated March 13,2024, regarding this study <br /> effort, emphasized FEMA's reliance on local "feedback,partnership,and knowledge."Consistent <br /> with that principle,our preliminary review of the materials presented indicates that the Kittitas <br /> Valley Creek study should include a model run utilizing unsteady modeling techniques, in addition to <br /> the quasi-unsteady model employed. We further recommend that predicted flooding extents be <br /> compared with observed flood extents from past events to ensure the study's validity. <br /> We also request the opportunity to review model outputs in addition to the mapped flood hazard <br /> areas presented.Regarding the restudied area in the vicinity of Cle Elum,we specifically request that <br /> the"Zone A" Special Flood Hazard Area located north of Airport Road be updated through a <br /> Floodplain Refinement process to more accurately align with existing topography. This requested <br /> revision is on FIRM Panel 53037C0685D,which is subject to revision under the new study. For all <br /> Kittitas County Courthouse 205 West 51Avenue,STE 108 -Ellensburg,WA 98926 <br /> (509)962-7508 FAX(509)962-7679 <br /> tvww co,klttdas waus <br />