# A Quarter-Century of Flood Protection: Paula Harris's Final Chapter ## Meeting Overview On a beautiful July afternoon when flooding seemed like the furthest thing from anyone's mind, the Whatcom County Council's Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee gathered to hear a comprehensive overview of the county's flood mitigation efforts over the past 25 years. Committee Chair Kaylee Galloway called the hybrid meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. on July 8, 2025, with committee members Todd Donovan and Mark Stremler present, along with council members Barry Buchanan, Ben Elenbaas, and Jon Scanlon attending. The sole item on the agenda was a special presentation from Paula Harris, the county's veteran flood management expert who arrived in 1998 just as the 1999 Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan (CFHMP) was being finalized. What followed was both a technical overview of major infrastructure projects and a personal reflection from someone who has dedicated her career to protecting Whatcom County from the Nooksack River's periodic fury. Harris's presentation carried particular weight as she approaches retirement, marking the end of an era for someone who has shepherded the county through dozens of flood events and managed the implementation of millions of dollars in flood protection projects. Her encyclopedic knowledge of every culvert, levee, and setback project reflected not just professional expertise, but the deep institutional memory that comes from decades of hands-on flood management. ## The Legacy of Bertrand Creek: Setting the Standard Harris began her tour through the county's flood protection infrastructure with Bertrand Creek, a project that exemplified the recurring challenges of managing water in an agricultural setting. "Pretty much every flood event caused damage on Bertrand Creek," she explained, describing how the original levees were positioned tight against the creek, making them vulnerable to erosion and catastrophic failure. The transformation of this system illustrated the evolution in flood management philosophy. Rather than simply repairing damage after each flood, the county worked with the Nooksack Tribe to purchase flood and conservation easements, allowing the levees to be moved back from the creek channel. This approach not only made the infrastructure more resilient but created environmental benefits as well. "The farmers were actually able to get them enrolled in CREP, and we still had a CREP program in …