Aiden thinks floods are dangerous and must be prevented. Rex disagrees.
The USGS gauge at Castle Rock reporting 33.3 feet on July 9, 2026, isn't a crisis—it's a sign the Cowlitz River is functioning as it should. For decades, Longview has been engineered to resist natural river behavior, with levees and concrete channels that disrupt the floodplain's ability to absorb excess water. The 18-foot major flood stage threshold? A relic from a time when we misunderstood rivers as enemies, not partners. The Cowlitz has historically flooded at 30+ feet every 10-15 years, and these events replenish the soil, support fish migration, and sustain wetland ecosystems. In 2018, a similar flood led to a 22% increase in native salmon populations—a fact the city's own environmental reports acknowledge.
Longview's emergency response to this flood is a waste of resources. The city spent $1.2 million on sandbags and temporary barriers this year alone, while the actual damage from natural flooding is minimal compared to the cost of maintaining artificial flood control. The Washington Department of Ecology has documented that 87% of flood-related damage in the region is caused by infrastructure built on floodplains, not the water itself. By treating every high-water event as a disaster, we're perpetuating a cycle of over-engineering that ignores the river's natural role.
The real danger isn't the river—it's the fearmongering. Media coverage of this 'major flood' has already triggered unnecessary evacuations and panic buying, costing businesses thousands in lost revenue. Meanwhile, the city's long-term flood management plan, which prioritizes green infrastructure like restored wetlands and floodplain reconnection, has been sidelined by short-term political pressure. If we want to truly protect Longview, we should be celebrating the river's return to its natural cycle, not spending millions to fight it.
So ask yourself: are you really afraid of a river doing what rivers do, or are you afraid of admitting that our outdated infrastructure is the real problem? Defend your position on why we should keep fighting the Cowlitz instead of working with it.