King County Flood District Board of Supervisors held their monthly Executive Committee meeting in Snoqualmie Monday, May 6, providing the residents of communities impacted by flooding the opportunity to meet with the supervisors responsible for the oversight on efforts to prevent future floods.
Executive Committee Chair Reagan Dunn led the meeting and was joined by Executive Committee member Kathy Lambert, who represents the Snoqualmie Valley, as well as Supervisors Julia Patterson and Larry Gossett, who are also Executive Committee members.
The committee members heard from residents of the Snoqualmie Valley, which included Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson and Ken Carter, the City Manager of Carnation. The speakers came to provide comment on the flooding challenges they face and on the flood protection needs in their community.
“It’s important for us to see areas of the county first-hand that are impacted by flooding and I thank Supervisor Lambert, Mayor Larson and the city of Snoqualmie for inviting us to the Snoqualmie Valley to listen to area residents,” stated Flood Control District Board Chair Reagan Dunn. “Given the high risks of flooding this area has, the Flood District’s work is vital in protecting public safety, the economy, and critical infrastructure in the Snoqualmie River Basin.”
“I’m very glad we were able to convene a special meeting of the Flood Control District Executive committee in Snoqualmie this morning. Hearing from my constituents on important issues such as flooding is valuable as we wrestle with solutions,” said Supervisor Lambert. “Each year we are able to allocate more flood levy dollars to work toward resolution of these issues. It is so vital for our very vibrant agricultural community and I’m hopeful that the worst days are behind us.”
The Snoqualmie River Basin is a river system of more than 600 square miles. It includes the Snoqualmie, Tolt and Raging Rivers and amounts to over seventy river miles with floodplain management needs and 250 flood protection facilities. The Snoqualmie Valley has experienced Phase 2 flooding conditions or higher twenty-three times since 2006.
The meeting featured a presentation from the County’s Water and Land Resources Division that highlighted recent accomplishments of the Flood District specific to the Snoqualmie Valley, along with current flood management needs and upcoming actions throughout the Snoqualmie River Basin.
Since the creation of the Flood District in 2007, the District has completed forty home buyouts and forty-eight home elevations, with forty-five more elevations currently in progress by both the District and the city of Snoqualmie. The District has also assisted in development of twenty-five farm pads, two barn elevations, and one elevated farm platform. There has also been capital work completed on twenty-eight levy and revetment repair projects, as well as four emergency repairs.
