Contact: Nola Leyde, 206 335-8189

US Army Corps of Engineers assisting with emergency repairs of levees in Centralia/Chehalis

SEATTLE-- The Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be assisting with emergency repairs to two levees in the Centralia/Chehalis area today.

The Corps will be assisting with repairs of two natural levee breaches in the Salzer Creek levee near the Southwestern Washington Fair Grounds. The Corps will also assist with emergency repairs to the Airport Levee that suffered minor scour damage and had two intentional levee breaches.

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 risk management structures. The Corps has three levees in the Centralia/Chehalis area that are in the PL 84-99 program and one federal levee. PL 84-99 levees include the Skookumchuck Levee, the Salzer Creek Levee and the Airport Levee. Long Road Levee is a federal levee. The Skookumchuck and Long Road Levee did not breach during the event, but did suffer some minor scour damage.

The Corps has provided assistance in seven river basins in Western Washington, providing some 16,500 sandbags, levee condition monitoring and technical assistance. For flood recovery, the Corps provides repairs to levees eligible under the PL 84-99 program, both emergency repair and future rehabilitation.