Seattle District - US Army Corps of Engineers


Corps of Engineers flood fight teams out in 7 Washington river basins

4 p.m.
Contact: Public Affairs 206-764-3750 or the Information Line for recorded updates at 1-866-596-2635

SEATTLE - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, Reservoir Control Center began 24-hour operation Jan. 6, and Corps flood teams are currently out on the Olympic Peninsula, and in the Snohomish, Skagit, Green, Chehalis, Puyallup and Nooksack river basins - a total of 56 flood fighters.

The Corps of Engineers is strengthening a levee at Bridge Road in Orting and has supplied two pumps to the town. The Corps has supplied 100,000 sandbags to Lewis County, 1,000 sandbags to Westport, and 10,000 sandbags to Kittitas County. The Corps is providing sandbag protection of a City of Tacoma sewage treatment plant. The Corps also has begun building a protective berm across Thunder Road to protect Quillayute property and is responding to a request from the Washington State Department of Transportation for pumps and technical assistance.

"The Corps has teams of emergency responders that assist in floods and natural disasters and they are supporting local governments as requested," said Seattle District Emergency Management Chief Paul Komoroske.

Public Law 84-99 enables the Corps to assist state and local authorities in flood fight activities and cost share in the repair of flood protection structures. The purpose is to prevent loss of life and minimize property damage associated with severe weather.

The reservoirs behind dams the Corps operates were all down at low levels ready to hold back high flows. The Corps operates dams in the White/Puyallup, Green/Duwamish, Skagit and Wynoochee basins for flood risk reduction.

Currently Howard Hanson Dam on the Green River is releasing no outflow while receiving 28,700 cfs of inflow. Mud Mountain Dam on the White River (which feeds the Puyallup) is experiencing inflows of 27,000 cfs and releasing no outflow. The Corps is holding back flows due to forecasted high tributary inflows to the Green and Puyallup rivers downstream of the dams.

The Corps is providing flood control operations at the Wynoochee Dam, where inflows are 4,750 cfs with outflows at 290 cfs. On the Skagit, the Upper Baker Dam has inflows of 5,900 cfs and outflows at 4,650. Ross Dam, on the Skagit, has inflows of 5,760 cfs and outflows at 2,340 cfs.

For more information on the Corps, and up-to-date river forecasts, go to www.nws.usace.army.mil and click on Rivers and Reservoirs. Lake and river information is available at: http://www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/nws/hh/basins/

Private citizens seeking sandbags should contact their local government offices.

The National Weather Service issues flood watches and warnings and should be consulted for that information.