Metropolitan King County Council 516 Third Ave., Rm. 1200 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-1000 Toll Free: 800-325-6165 TTY/TDD: 206-296-1024 Fax: 206-296-0198 council@kingcounty.gov |
July 22, 2008 Crews racing to complete emergency levee repairs before winterKent levees protect homes, businesses, SR 167Construction crews and heavy equipment here are working nearly around the clock to complete emergency river levee repairs before this winter’s rain.
Nearly one-mile of the Kent Shops-Narita levee along the Green River just west of downtown Kent was severely damaged by heavy rain and flooding in November 2006.
An $8 million repair began earlier this month and is now in full swing. More than 25,000 truckloads of dirt and rock will be moved before the project is complete in September. Crews are working 16 hour days, six days a week.
“This levee protects thousands of homes and businesses and arterials that are vital to both Kent residents and the region,” said King County Flood Control Zone District (FCZD) Board Chair Julia Patterson. “Because the largest warehouse district in the state is bordered by the Green River, our regional economy depends on goods moving to and from the manufacturing centers in Kent.”
Major project partners are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the King County Flood Zone Control District, the Water and Land Resources Division of King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks and the City of Kent.
“Kent was fortunate to have been selected” said Mayor Suzette Cooke. “We worked quickly this spring to formalize the partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and King County. The project is progressing well and all parties are working hard to minimize impacts to motorists, golfers and trail users.”
FCZD Executive Committee Chair Reagan Dunn said the Kent levee is typical of the more than 500 levees in King County that were built decades ago.
“A lot of them were constructed years ago by farmers to protect their crops,” he said. “Now these levees are being expected to protect hundreds of millions of dollars invested in homes, businesses, public buildings and roads. We need to do more to maintain and improve them.”
The FCZD was created by King County officials as a special purpose governmental entity to take a comprehensive approach to flooding in the region. All nine members of the King County Council oversee the district as a Board of Supervisors. A 15-member committee made up of citizens and local government officials provides advice to the board.
Flooding affects every citizen in King County. Floods disrupt jobs, shopping, health care, schools, recreational activities and emergency response throughout the region as freeways, arterials and bridges are blocked by water. Lost economic activity in King County resulting from a major flood can cost more than $46 million every day, according to a recent economic study. Approximately 65,000 jobs are located in areas protected by levees, many of them in the Kent Valley.
The FCZD’s work plan, developed by the King County Executive and adopted by the Metropolitan King County Council, identifies approximately $346 million in critical flood protection projects throughout King County. The Water and Land Resources Division of King County's Department of Natural Resources and Parks is implementing the flood protection projects for the District.
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