The Metropolitan King County Council today created the first countywide body with the responsibility to fix the county’s failing flood protection facilities in order to reduce the likelihood of future flood disasters. It is the next step towards developing a plan for funding a backlog of maintenance and repairs to King County's aging system of 500 levees and hardened embankments that protect urban and rural floodplain residents, businesses, regional economic centers, public infrastructure and roads.

“We have the most competitive flood insurance rate in the nation due to our recently adopted flood plan,” said Councilmember Jane Hague, vice-chair of the Council’s Growth Management and Natural Resources Committee and prime sponsor of the ordinance. “Having one flood district with all stakeholders at the table will provide a concerted and thoughtful plan for an aging component of the emergency management framework, the King County flood management system.”

“Floods continue to plague our region with devastating effects for people, property, fish and livestock,” said Growth Management Chair Larry Phillips. “With the advent of the climate crisis, we have to look at controlling flooding on more than an area-by-area basis. This plan will coordinate flood management on a regional basis, and provide the agencies responsible for protecting lives and property with the funding they need to get the job done.”

“Last winter's storm damage exposed the weaknesses of our multi-district flood control system in protecting lives and property,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine. “This legislation replaces our former piecemeal approach to flood protection with a unified, regional system and guides our future investments in repairs and upgrades to flood control facilities across King County.”

The King County Flood Control Zone District (FCZD) replaces 12 separate districts created to address areas of localized flooding, with little or no coordination between them.

Today’s legislation also creates a Flood Control Zone District Advisory Committee responsible for making recommendations to the FCZD Board of Supervisors on flood control project planning and funding allocations. The Advisory Committee will consist of:

• Representatives of cities that have historically experienced significant flooding due to their locations within floodplains,

• The cities of Bellevue and Seattle,

• Representatives of the Suburban Cities Association (SCA) as chosen by the SCA on a rotating basis among four groupings of member cities,

• A member from an Unincorporated Area Council (UAC).

While the County Council will not have a member on the advisory committee, Councilmembers will be allowed direct contact with members of the advisory committee, will be able to attend meetings of the committee, and participate in advisory committee discussions.

“Snoqualmie Valley residents are intimately familiar with the challenges and costs of annual flooding,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert, who represents Northeast King County communities that were hardest hit by heavy winter rains. “These projects will help protect homes and businesses and the natural area in King County. Coordinating our approach to flood control will help reduce the cost of flood insurance for low-lying properties from the current 30-percent to a 40-percent discount beginning in October.”

“It is not a question of if there will be a major flood event in King County, but a question of when the next event will occur,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson. “King County is proposing to fix these failing flood protection facilities to reduce the likelihood of future flooding disasters.”

“Unincorporated residents account for about 330,000 out of the 1.8 million King County citizens - that's the equivalent of the second-largest city in the county,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn. “This advisory committee fairly balances the needs of those who live inside cities and now gives voice to those who live outside.”

“Since floods ignore jurisdictions, protecting lives and property is a regional issue,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson. “The advisory committee will have a vital role in flood control planning because they will represent the regional perspective on how to proceed with flood management.”

The King County FCZD will adopt as its initial mandate the 2006 King County Flood Hazard Management Plan approved by the Council in January. The Flood Plan is a blueprint for county management of the 500 flood control facilities throughout incorporated and unincorporated King County that help prevent flooding and work to contain floodwaters when flooding occurs. The Plan identifies a range of $179 million to $335 million in priority repairs and upgrades over the next decade. Its goals are to:

• Reduce the risks from flood and channel migration hazards.
• Avoid or minimize the environmental impacts of flood hazard management.
• Reduce the long-term costs of flood hazard management.

The Flood Hazard Management Plan recommends that funding for the new King County FCZD come from a countywide property tax levy. The King County Council, sitting as the Board of Supervisors of the King County Flood Control Zone District, would have the authority to approve such a levy in a separate legislative action. Of the 13 local flood districts being dissolved by today’s legislation, only one – the Green River Flood Control Zone District—exercised its statutory authority to assess levies to fund flood control projects.

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system.
Type in “2007-0213”