Drop in to any of five upcoming community meetings scheduled for late October and early November to learn more about recently updated maps that depict landslide hazards in King County.
Co-sponsored by King County and the King County Flood Control District, the meetings are designed to provide residents a hands-on opportunity with help from county staff to understand the new maps and learn about landslide geology, how to reduce risk, landslide response services and more.
The first meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Lake Wilderness Lodge, 22500 SE 248th St., Maple Valley. Subsequent meetings will cover identical information and are scheduled for:
- Thursday, Oct. 27 – Meadowbrook Farm Interpretive Center, 1711 Boalch Ave., North Bend;
- Tuesday, Nov. 1 – Green River College, 12401 SE 320th St., Auburn; and
- Thursday, Nov. 3 – Tolt Middle School, 3740 Tolt Ave., Carnation.
All meetings begin at 6 p.m. Visit www.kingcounty.gov/landslides to views the maps.
Another meeting, set by the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review, is scheduled for Vashon-Maury Island on Nov. 16. Meeting details are below.
The new landslide maps were created following the 2014 landslide near Oso in Snohomish County, when King County Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Flood Control District called for modernizing 1990’s-era landslide hazard maps.
LiDAR imaging – a surveying technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with laser light – produced updated high-resolution topographic maps across King County. The new landslide mapping also relied on recent geologic mapping prepared by state and federal agencies.
Although landslide hazards are present throughout much of western Washington, and the updated maps show areas potentially subject to landsliding in King County, geologists have concluded that there are no communities in King County with the same unique combination of conditions present at the site of the 2014 landslide in Snohomish County near Oso.
To stay informed about the meetings and landslide hazard work, sign up for email announcements, and additional information, visitwww.kingcounty.gov/landslides.
The meetings are the best place to get comprehensive information about the landslide hazard map update. People who can’t attend a meeting can contact the Water and Land Resources Division, 206-477-4727 with questions about potential hazards within river corridors.
The King County Department of Permitting and Environmental Review has scheduled a meeting for Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Vashon Rural Services Center, 10011 SW Bank Rd., Vashon, to discuss its work to update landslide hazard mapping in unincorporated King County outside of the forest production zone.
This mapping, which includes Vashon-Maury Island, resulted in an improved map of potential landslide hazards and steep slope critical areas that allows people to view an area or zoom to a specific parcel to check if there are any indications of potential hazard.
For information about potential landslide hazards in unincorporated King County and related permitting or land development-related questions, call the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review, 206-296-6600.
