Yelm residents living across the Centralia Canal have expressed concerns after the Southeast Thurston Fire Authority sent them a letter regarding its reduced ability to combat fires across the bridges.
The fire department’s fire engines and water tenders, as well as other heavy service vehicles, have been deemed too heavy to cross the bridges after a recent weight capacity load rating. Residents are concerned that emergency services and other important services will be limited or unavailable across the six bridges, which are owned by the Centralia City Light Department as part of its Yelm Hydroelectric Project.
During its Tuesday, Aug. 13 meeting, the Centralia City Council unanimously voted to approve a contract amendment with Sargent Engineers, the firm that completed the load ratings, to evaluate and provide options to strengthen the bridges.
The City of Centralia owns and operates a hydroelectric generating plant near Yelm that was built in 1929 and 1930. It diverts water from the Nisqually River into the canal that crosses the Yelm Prairie for approximately 9 miles to power generators that then transmit the power to Centralia, serving about 30% of the city’s power needs.
When the hydroelectric project was established, the City of Centralia installed six small bridges over the canal in an area that was then a farming district and are now all located in Yelm. The bridges helped farmers access their fields. Since then, housing developments have been built, but the bridges have remained largely the same. The bridges are located at the following locations:
Lindsay Spooner Bridge, off of Cook Road Southeast
Mosmans Bridge, end of Railway Road Southeast
Cobblestone Bridge, off of Canal Road Southeast
Crystal Springs Road Bridge, corner of Crystal Springs Road Northwest and Canal Road Southeast
Mathews Bridge, end of Cullens Road Southeast
Petersen Bridge, off of Mud Run Road Southeast, a private gravel road
Centralia interim City Manager Amy Buckler said Southeast Thurston Fire Authority contacted City Engineer Patty Page in late 2023 requesting updated load ratings on the bridges. Page hired Sargent Engineering to inspect and rate the bridges. The firm found that the bridges had the capacity to “handle most, but not all, heavy vehicle traffic.”
“It is our understanding that smaller pumper trucks, as well as emergency medical services can access the homes,” Buckler said. “But we’ve also come to understand that, over the past month, residents are now receiving notices from other services that may be impacted, such as garbage pickup, propane delivery and other delivery.”
Anthony Allen, a resident who lives across the bridge near Crystal Springs Road, said his family received the letter from Southeast Thurston Fire Authority on the same day that Thurston County declared its red flag warning that any fire would spread quickly and discouraged any outdoor burning.
“Needless to say, being told that the fire department’s ability to fight fires in my neighborhood is greatly reduced during the hottest, driest time in the fire season is unsettling,” Allen said. “There are nine homes in my cul-de-sac along with residents ages ranging from 85 years old to 1 year old. The canal and all its bridges are owned and maintained by Centralia City Light. They do not have the right to put our families at risk because they are not willing to upgrade and repair the bridges that access our neighborhood.”
Buckler added that one of the bridges is already slated to be improved this summer “for other reasons” and that the city is focused on the five other bridges that are impacting approximately 30 households.
However, Buckler said the city does not have a legal obligation to improve the bridges to accommodate heavier vehicles because no agreements with property owners are in place.
“We definitely understand the homeowners’ concerns and believe that they deserve a solution. To figure out what that solution is, we have an item on your consent calendar tonight to consider a contract amendment with Sargent Engineers to evaluate and provide options to strengthen the bridges,” Buckler said. “Each bridge is a little bit different, and in order to determine what measures will be sufficient to strengthen each bridge, an in-depth analysis of each bridge will be required.”
City Attorney Kyle Manley told the council that when the city initially purchased the canal from the irrigation district, it agreed to construct and maintain the bridges, but there was no agreement to improve those bridges.
Buckler said the consultant should be able to complete this work in approximately one month, and after that the city would know the costs of the project and what permits may be required. The city is seeking to collaborate with Thurston County and the Southeast Thurston Fire Authority to find the solution for the current situation and to avoid similar events in the future.
Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston said the issue “took us all by surprise” but added that collaborating with the other jurisdictions involved is key to solving the problem.
“We need to be good neighbors. We need to be good fiscal stewards, and we need to sort out what’s gonna be the right approach for all interests,” she said. “To those of you who are participating virtually and in here that are property owners, I hope you hear our intent to be good neighbors and our concern for you and that we are moving as quickly as we can to initiate a process to explore solutions.”
