King County farmers get flexibility to protect equipment, stock with new rules in flood areas

Farmers in the most productive areas of King County’s agricultural districts now have new ways of protecting their livelihoods when floodwaters rise.

The King County Council recently approved a series of recommendations, including allowing farmers to build agricultural accessory buildings in the floodways, and constructing farm pads where supplies and livestock can be placed during high flows.

The council’s ordinance closely follows recommendations contained in the Snoqualmie Flood Farm Task Force report, which was submitted to the council this past February.

“Adoption of these recommendations is great news for our local farming communities,” said King County Executive Ron Sims.

“Locally produced agricultural products are vital to the health of our citizens, and agriculture is an important part of our economy,” he said. “At the same time, we must continue to protect the valuable habitat and ecological functions of rivers and adjacent lands. I feel that a balance has been struck with this ordinance.”

The flood farm task force was composed of area farmers and King County staff who worked for four months to assess the impacts of flooding on agriculture and to identify alternative measures for reducing the flood impacts without increasing the flood risk to people and property.

The task force developed recommendations for changes to regulations and additional technical support and funding that will help the agriculture industry in the Snoqualmie Valley and throughout the county.

Legislation passed by the county council also includes a call for a report relating to the future of agriculture within the county’s Agricultural Production Districts, as well as legislation regarding the allowed size of agricultural accessory buildings.

The report is available online at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/lands/agriculture/farm-flood-task-force-report.htm.

The task force's eight meetings between October 2007 and January 2008 featured presentations on and discussion of potential causes of increased flooding in the Snoqualmie Valley, and on the regulations that provide flood protection and the ways they could be modified to address the needs of agriculture in the floodplain. The report includes the findings from these discussions and the resulting 16 recommendations that emerged.

Related Information

Snoqualmie - Skykomish Watershed

Agriculture in King County, Washington 

Flooding Services and Information

Water and Land Resources Division