Wildfire defense grant stalled by funding freeze, timeline remains uncertain

CHELAN COUNTY – A $9.275 million grant intended to improve wildfire resilience throughout the upper valley is paused indefinitely, delaying key projects in one of the region's most vulnerable communities.

In a U.S. Forest Service map of “Wildfire evacuation risk for PNW communities,” Leavenworth ranks second in burn probability and seventh in overall vulnerability out of 696 rural communities in Oregon and Washington. 

The Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) would address its priority landscapes, such as Chumstick Highway, Upper Lake Wenatchee, and Nason, funding five years of fuels reduction and evacuation route improvement. It would also include planning and purchasing of an estimated ten 21,000-gallon water tanks for the area, intended to work as remote fire hydrants for faster firefighting response. 

Though the grant was awarded through the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), its funding source comes through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), created under the Biden administration era. 

For the last month and a half, the DNR has been unable to access $180 million in IIJA and Inflation Reduction Act funding amid the Trump administration’s current spending freeze. According to DNR Communications Director Michael Kelly, $90 million of which was designated for wildfire prevention, suppression, resilience, and forest health.

“We are still working to access it. We've never actually heard anything from the federal government. There's been no real communication, no official communication about when the funding may become available, why it was frozen, all of those questions,” said Kelly. “It's been a lot of just trying to figure out what's happening in a vacuum of information.”

In response, the DNR moved to pause the execution of pending grant agreements, including Chelan County’s CWDG funding.

“We signed the agreement. We haven't gotten it back. It's like we were that close to getting it,” said Chelan County Natural Resources Director Mike Kaputa.

A number of delays prior to the funding freeze already challenged the possibility of starting work in 2025, but the grant’s partners were hopeful of moderate progress. For instance, Chelan County Fire District #3 (CCFD#3) and Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition (CWSC) were working with the county to push the purchase of two portable water tanks, which require less planning and permitting than a permanent installation, in order to have some remote water supply for the 2025 wildfire season. 

Having a remote water tank strategically placed could refill a water tender–which can transport approximately 2,000 gallons to a scene–up to 20 road miles closer than the current nearest hydrant, according to CCFD#3 Deputy Chief Mike Smith.

“It will mean a major delay in water supply for these remote areas. While we are still operating under the status quo, getting these tanks into place greatly reduces the time lost traveling (up to 45 minutes) from these locations to refill with water. This can become exacerbated when regional resources are stretched thin, as we often see late in the fire season,” Smith said in an email to Ward Media.

As it awaits funding, the county is moving forward where it can. However, it can’t take the next steps of permitting or procurement without a signed grant agreement, according to Kaputa.

“It's really important to me, personally. I think it is to everybody…I'll be disappointed if we can't make that happen this year. With all the time that we put in, and as close as we've gotten, I just can't see myself sitting there going, ‘Okay, well, next year,’” said CWSC representative Bob Keller, who lives in the Chumstick area.

For years, county partners have been working together to place 21,000 gallon water tanks in rural, wildfire-prone areas that lack hydrants for faster, more effective firefighting. Last year, the county was able to secure funding: first through Community Project Funding via Congresswoman Kim Schrier, and later through the CWDG program.

While the Community Project Funding remains available, it can take multiple years before the recipient can access it. The CWDG funding would have been immediate.

“We finally got to a point when we saw the reality that was going to happen,” said Keller.

For the fuels reduction work, Kaputa remains hopeful that some work could be started this fall if the DNR regains access to the funding in the next couple months. However, a longer delay could have a lasting “ripple effect” on the entire CWDG project’s timeline. If the freeze goes on for another six to nine months, said Kaputa, it could further delay 2026 efforts.

“Maybe we get the money tomorrow, and maybe we can start working. Maybe we don't get it till next year. I have no idea,” said Kaputa.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media