By Tim LaPorte
For the Kent Reporter
Since repairs at Howard Hanson Dam have restored Kent’s flood risk to normal levels, the giant sandbags that line the Green River Trail are no longer necessary.
The city has received numerous suggestions from residents about how to use or dispose of the sandbags. While many ideas were thoughtful and well-intended, they simply aren’t feasible, and here is why.
To protect our community from possible flooding, the city of Kent and the King County Flood Control District (KCFCD) installed nearly 20,000 giant sandbags on top of 12 miles of levees along the river. This process took close to 30 days, with city crews working around the clock to get the sandbags in place prior to the flood season.
Removal of the sandbags is an expensive proposition because of their size, weight and difficult-to-reach location.
Each of the sandbags is roughly a cubic yard in volume and weighs about 1 1/2 tons. The material inside is low grade fill, and is not marketable as premium sand. It isn’t suitable for sanding streets in the winter, for use in gardens, sandboxes, or constructing sidewalks and patios as suggested by many residents.
Because of the weight of the bags, they can only be loaded into dump trucks with heavy equipment such as an excavator. Using the wrong equipment could damage the thin asphalt trail, or the levees themselves inflicting more damage than any potential savings realized.
Finally, because the sandbags are located along a sensitive river bank, the “come and get it” approach where the bags could be broken or spilled into the river could lead to violations of state and federal law, more expensive cleanup costs and even potential lawsuits for damaging endangered fish habitat.
On May 14, the KCFCD voted to pay 75 percent of the $1–2 million estimated cost to remove the sandbags from the levees. The remaining 25 percent will be funded either by the city’s storm water utility, or through an Opportunity Fund, in the form of a loan, also provided by the KCFCD.
Last month, the city advertised the project to remove the sandbags via an “Invitation to Bid.” We requested bids by dividing the project into multiple segments, which could have resulted in multiple contractors.
After reviewing the bids, we determined it would be most efficient to re-advertise as a single project. By advertising it on the open market, the city will receive the best and lowest cost proposals and will award the contract accordingly.
The city is on schedule to remove the sandbags this summer. As the sandbags are removed, the paved trail will be assessed to determine if sections need to be repaired.
We look forward to reopening the Green River Trail for the use and enjoyment by the community.
Tim LaPorte, P.E., is public works director for the city of Kent.
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