Agricultural landowners who work in King County’s rich river bottomlands can reduce their risk of losses from flooding by building a farm pad or elevated structure, where livestock and farm equipment can be placed in times of high water.

King County is now accepting applications for building new farm pads or modifying existing structures during this year’s construction season. Applications are due by March 31.

“I encourage farmers to take advantage of the valuable technical and permitting assistance offered by our able staff in the County’s Water and Land Resources Division as part of this program to help implement their project and ease the impacts of flooding,” said King County Flood Control District Supervisor Kathy Lambert. The Flood Control District provides funding for the program and contracts with King County to implement it.

Proposals for pads should be appropriately sized to help minimize the amount of fill that is brought into the floodplain, which can reduce the land’s overall flood-storage capacity.

County staff have provided technical assistance and permitting help to more than 25 landowners to construct or elevate farm pads over the past six years.

Staff have also worked with landowners on alternatives to bringing fill into the floodplain for a farm pad, such as constructing an elevated platform that provides the same high ground function of a pad, but doesn’t diminish flood storage capacity.

Information is available at http://www.kingcounty.gov/ag, or by calling Claire Dyckman at 206-296-1926.