Levee repairs, floodplain mapping and capital projects highlight county's efforts to prepare for rising waters

Sterling flood rating means citizens pay less in insurance premiums

2005 Archived News

Residents living in flood-prone areas can rest a little easier knowing that, in the last year alone, King County has earned an unmatched federal rating for its flood hazard reduction efforts and completed three major projects to construct and repair flood protection facilities.

As storms arrive and rivers rise this flood season, rest assured that King County has been working hard on behalf of its most vulnerable citizens.

King County last month was recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its outstanding flood hazard management programs with a Class 3 Community Rating System (CRS) rating. The CRS rating is not only good news for floodplain residents hoping to stay safe and dry and minimize property damage when riverbanks overflow, but it translates directly into reduced flood insurance premiums.

King County's Community Rating System rating is the highest rating of any county in the United States. Flood insurance policy holders in unincorporated King County will save 35-percent on annual premium costs, or more than $206 per policy per year.

King County's flood hazard reduction program was highlighted by three major projects during the past year to construct and repair flood protection facilities. The most significant was the completion of the Snoqualmie 205 Flood Reduction Project to help alleviate the severity of flooding in and around the city of Snoqualmie where more than 600 homes and most of the commercial areas are subject to severe flood damages.

The Snoqualmie 205 project included excavation along the left and right banks of Snoqualmie River was completed in 2004 to eliminate natural constraints in the river that caused increased depths and frequency of floodwaters. In 2005, an abandoned and partially failing railroad bridge and abutment located in the river channel was removed to eliminate the accumulation of debris during flooding conditions. The project will prevent more than half of the economic damages caused by this flood problem, with an average annual savings of $837,000.

Two projects on the Green River will also substantially reduce flooding to residents and businesses in south King County. The Fenster Levee repair project in the City of Auburn was completed in 2004 to restore the structural foundation of the facility as a result of damages sustained in the 1995 and 1996 flood events. Additional project elements such as the installation of large woody debris and planting of native vegetation also helped improve salmon habitat. The Horseshoe Bend Levee Setback project in the City of Kent moved and reconstructed 1,750 linear feet of the federal Horseshoe Bend Levee back from the river to strengthen the levee and increase channel capacity to contain floodwater within its banks. These two projects cost $550,000 and are completed as part of King County's administration of the Green River Flood Control Zone District.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has also announced that it will recommended award of a $1.2 million grant to King County to acquire eight severely flood-prone homes located behind a portion of levee on the Cedar River. Residents in these homes have been subject to repeated high velocity, debris- loaded flows that damage homes, property, water supplies, and the neighborhood's sole access road, presenting a significant threat to their health and safety. The flood-prone homes will be demolished and the lands will be maintained as open space in perpetuity. The residents will be freed from the fear and risks of flooding, and future uses of the land will not allow homes or other structures to be built in harm's way. This project will also benefit from $470,000 in Conservation Future Tax dollars as part of King County Executive Ron Sims 2006 budget request making a commitment to invest in acquiring natural lands and open space.

King County's Water and Land Resources Division maintains some 475 flood protection facilities throughout King County, which help protect citizens and property owners from major river flooding. County staff work year-round to inspect, repair and monitor these facilities, which reduces flood damages and protects public safety along King County's major rivers. The major river systems in King County are the White, Snoqualmie, Sammamish, Cedar, Green and South Fork Skykomish.

The county Water and Land Resources Division has also readied for winter's flood hazards by:

• Gearing up operation of King County's nationally-recognized Flood Warning Center which, when rivers rise to certain levels, alerts citizens, other public agencies, and businesses on a seven-day, 24-hour basis with information on flooding, road closures and other flood-related data such as weather forecasts and dam operations.
• Updating flood hazard maps for 34 miles along the Lower Snoqualmie as well as initiating the update of 40 miles along the Lower and Middle Green River. The maps will be published as Flood Insurance Rate Maps after review by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The updated maps incorporate new topography and a greater historic period of record of flows that results in a more accurate representation of 100-year flood hazard areas.
• Completion of channel migration hazard mapping areas along 49 miles on four of King County's major river systems. Channel migration hazards may be the least recognized and yet most destructive type of damage that results from flooding and poses a risk to public health and safety in the affected parts of King County. The erosion caused by channel migration can undermine houses, roads, and infrastructure causing property to wash away, and threaten lives. Additional channel migration hazards maps are underway for 15 miles of the Cedar River, 25 miles of the White River, and 13 miles of the South Fork Skykomish River.
• Providing storm and surface water services and water quality management services in both the urban and rural areas of King County. The Water and Land Resources Division through the Local Drainage Services Section conducts maintenance, repairs and retrofits to retention / detention ponds, vaults and pipes during the summer to prepare for the rainy season. Services include maintenance of residential stormwater facilities, inspection and maintenance of commercial stormwater facilities, inspection and enforcement to ensure compliance with the County's water quality code, and complaint investigation services related to drainage, flooding and erosion problems.

To learn more about what King County is doing to prepare for flood season, click on the county's Department of Natural Resources and Parks Web site at: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/topics/flooding/FLDtopic.htm.