Floods cause more damage than any other natural disasters in Washington. The Department of Ecology has awarded nearly $11 million in grants to recipients across the state to help prevent damage in flood-prone communities.
Grants reach from Silverdale on Kitsap Peninsula east to Yakima County and north from Deming to Skamokawa near the Columbia River and points in between. Projects will reduce flood hazards to people, property, critical facilities and transportation corridors while helping to restore habitat and water quality for fish and wildlife. In all, 13 projects are funded through the competitive flood management grant process.
For instance, in Whatcom County some $1.4 million in state funding will be used to complete construction of a new 800-foot-long levee setback from the Nooksack River to protect the town of Deming, school buildings and sewage lagoon from floodwaters. The levee will replace an earthen berm that frequently overtops from floodwaters.
Other grant recipients are:
– Kitsap County – $2 million for floodplain restoration on Clear Creek in Silverdale;
– Chelan County – $780,616 for improvements to Nason Creek;
– Pierce County – $525,000 to acquire property in floodplain for improvement on Ball Creek, Puyallup River;
– Tulalip Tribe – $464,044 for the Qwuloolt floodplain restoration project along Ebey Slough;
– City of Yakima – $200,000 for work increasing flood conveyance under two bridges crossing Wide Hollow Creek.
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Press Release, May 21, 2014