Help available for farmers interested in building, repairing livestock-saving farm pads

King County schedules Feb. 28 meeting in Preston to offer advice, technical help

The possibility of flooding is a fact of life for many farmers who live and work on the rich King County river valley bottomlands. The county has been working for several years to help farmers diminish the severity of flooding by helping them build farm pads – elevated land where livestock, farm equipment and other essentials can be stored during a flood.

Landowners who live in flood-prone areas can learn more about farm pads at a meeting on Monday, Feb. 28 from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Preston Community Center. King County staff will be on hand to discuss technical assistance available for design, construction and permitting of farm pads, while landowners who have recently constructed farm pads will share their experiences with others.

Two dozen farm pads have been constructed in flood-prone agricultural areas of King County since the early 90’s. Following the record-breaking flooding of November 2006, when livestock suffered hypothermia or drowned, and equipment and feed was ruined, King County approved a demonstration project to improve existing farm pads.

At the recommendation of the Snoqualmie Valley Flood-Farm Task Force, King County made farm pads a permanent protection measure for farmers located in a floodway in the county’s Agricultural Production Districts.

For more information, contact Claire Dyckman at 206-296-1926, or claire.dyckman@kingcounty.gov.

Related information

Agriculture

King County Water and Land Resources