Contact: Nola Leyde (206) 764-6896

SEATTLE -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and King County will be starting work next week on two Green River levees damaged in the November 2006 flood event. Contractors are already mobilizing equipment to those areas.

The Kent Shops-Narita and Meyers Golf levees, near Kent, Wash., were part of the more than 50 levees damaged in the region during the 2006 flood event and were on the list for repairs. Thirteen levees were repaired last year in five counties in western Washington, including King, Pierce, Whatcom, Snohomish and Skagit. More levee repairs are scheduled for next year.

The public and river users should be aware of construction activities taking place in these areas. "Public safety is our top priority," said Bill Graney, project manager for the levee repairs on the Green River. "Flood risk management is a shared responsibility and partnership among federal, state, and local agencies, and private landowners," said Graney who is working together with King County and City of Kent in the repair work.

The public also needs to be aware, for their safety, that there will be increased truck traffic and equipment in the levee repair areas.

Work to repair the levees includes the investigation of damages, estimates of repair costs, engineering design of repair work, and construction. The estimate for the cost of repairs to these two Kent levees is more than $13 million. 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.

After a flood, the Corps has authority to supplement local efforts in the repair of both federal (Corps-constructed, locally-operated and maintained) and non-federal (constructed, operated and maintained by non-federal interests) flood control structures damaged by flooding, if they are active in the Corps Rehabilitation and Inspection Program.

Levees that are not in the program are not eligible for federal assistance. Repairs to federal levees are 100 percent federally funded. Repairs to non-federal levees are cost shared, with the federal cost of 80 percent and the local cost of 20 percent.

The repair of levees also provides an opportunity to incorporate additional environmental features into the engineering designs. According to Doug Weber, Seattle District Natural Disaster Program Manager, habitat features are used to offset construction impacts in levee repairs.

Repair of 11 levees is scheduled for this summer. Work should be completed before the flood season begins in October. A list of levees to be repaired this year follows. There are 297 levees in the Seattle District PL 84-99 program, which includes Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana. This includes 22 federal levees and 275 non-federal levees.

For more information, visit the Corps Web site at www.nws.usace.army.mil and select Levees in the Corps Topics box, top right hand corner.

Levees Scheduled to Be Repaired this Year:

Washington

King County
Project/Levee Name                            River                        Type
Dykstra Levee, Left Bank                    Green                 Non-Federal
Galli's Levee                                      Green                 Non-Federal
Kent Shops - Narita, Right Bank         Green                  Non-Federal
Mason-Thorson Ells                           Snoqualmie         Non-Federal
Mason-Thorson Ext.                          Snoqualmie         Non-Federal
McElhoe Pearson                             Snoqualmie         Non-Federal
Meyers Golf                                     Green                 Non-Federal
Raging Bridge to Mouth, Right Bank  Raging                Non-Federal
Tukwila 205 - Segale Levee               Green                 Federal

Idaho Bonner County

Lightning Creek                               Clark Fork N         Non-Federal

Montana Lincoln County

Callahan Creek                               Callahan                Non-Federal