King County flood control board approves Green River levee funds
Published 1:33 pm Tuesday, November 17, 2015
A 2016 budget that continues protecting property and lives from flooding while working to prevent future floods was unanimously approved on Monday by the King County Flood Control District Board of Supervisors.
Three areas are the primary focus of the $55 million budget, according to a county media release: addressing deficiencies on levee corridors along the Green and Cedar Rivers, continuing with projects designed to prevent future floods and working to minimize the impact of urban flooding when it occurs. Two-thirds of the adopted budget will be focused on construction and improvements of the regional flood protection system.
This budget will provide funds for projects that include repairing 4,450 feet of levees in Kent, Tukwila and Renton along the Green River, sediment removal along the Cedar River to help protect the industries along the waterway and repairing a portion of the Winkelman Revetment along the Tolt River in northeast King County which has eroded and is slumping.
The district plans to spend about $2.5 million on Green River levee projects in 2016 and about $40.5 million overall in the capital budget from 2016-20, according to a county spokesman.
“The Kent Valley represents one-eighth of the state’s economy and is home to thousands of residents,” said County Councilman Dave Upthegrove, whose District 5 includes Kent. “Protecting lives and businesses is my top priority. This budget will keep existing levies in good condition and advance important levee replacement projects along the Green River that will benefit people, business, and the environment.”
The district is funded by a property tax of 13 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation.
“In the last three weeks we’ve had two major storm systems come through the region. It’s a reminder of the value of the Flood Control District in protecting lives and property,” said Flood Control District Chair Reagan Dunn. “We work hard to protect residents of King County from flooding and I look forward to working to accomplish even more in 2016 with the passage of this budget.”
