REMINDER: Learn about Howard Hanson Dam, Green River safety at Sept. 9 public meeting in Auburn

Learn the latest details about flood safety and efforts to protect people, their property and businesses in the Green River Valley at a public meeting, Sept. 9 in Auburn.

Sponsored by King County and the King County Flood Control District in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the meeting will take place:

6-8:30 p.m.
Green River Community College main campus
Cascade Room - Lindbloom Student Center
12401 SE 320th St., Auburn

You are encouraged to attend this meeting to learn more about:
• Dam operations, interim repairs and potential impacts to you and your property;
• King County’s efforts in response to possible impacts; and
• Resources available to you, plus ways you can help protect yourself and your property against flood risks.

The meeting will include an open house from 6-6:30 p.m., followed by presentations from 6:30-8 p.m., then close with a Q & A session from 8-8:30 p.m. Staff from the Corps, King County Emergency Coordination Center and King County Flood Warning Center will make presentations. Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local emergency response agencies will also be on hand.

While the meeting is intended for residents of unincorporated King County, it is open to all.

Storage capacity at the Corps’ Howard Hanson Dam in the upper Green River watershed is temporarily restricted until repairs can be made to the right abutment of the dam following heavy rainfall in January, when the dam held back a record amount of water.

While the Corps points out there is no immediate danger to people and property below the dam, an increased risk of flooding to the Green River Valley is possible in the event of a major rainstorm or significant snowmelt because of the limited storage capacity, which could result in water releases from the dam that overtop levees along the Green River and cause flooding to surrounding homes and businesses.

The Corps is making safety repairs to the dam, including constructing an interim seepage barrier wall and improving the drainage tunnel to control seepage through a critical portion of the dam’s right abutment.

More details and history about the Howard Hanson Dam issue, including aerial photos of the dam, can be found at http://www.nws.usace.army.mil. For more information about how King County and the King County Flood Control District are preparing for and responding to this heightened flood risk and for flood planning links to affected cities visit www.kingcounty.gov/floodplans, or www.kingcountyfloodcontrol.org.

More information is available by calling Katy Vanderpool, at 206-296-8362, or katy.vanderpool@kingcounty.gov. Directions to Green River Community College are available at http://www.greenriver.edu/about/campus/directions/

The King County Flood Control District is a special purpose government created to provide funding and policy oversight for flood protection projects and programs in King County.  The Flood Control District’s Board is composed of the members of the King County Council. The Water and Land Resources Division of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks develops and implements the approved flood protection projects and programs. Information is available at http://www.kingcountyfloodcontrol.org/.

Related Information

Prepare now for floods

King County Flood Control District

Flooding Services and Information

River and Floodplain Management Section

Water and Land Resources Division