The King County Flood Control District announced Monday $1.5 million in grants for 10 projects aimed at improving water quality, protecting and restoring habitat, and supporting salmon recovery efforts in the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound watersheds. The area is collectively called Water Resource Inventory Area 9 (WRIA 9).
The funding will go to local organizations who are working to improve water quality and protect salmon. The grants will be matched with an additional $2.5 million of funding.
“These WRIA grants play an important role in the all-over health of our region’s ecosystems,” said Flood Control District Chair Reagan Dunn. “Healthy watersheds mean a healthy future for our salmon and our communities. I am proud of the role the Flood District plays in supporting these habitats.”
“Today, we approved funding for a diverse group of projects that will not only promote habitat restoration and provide additional flood protection, but will also bring an economic benefit to the region,” said Supervisor Dave Upthegrove.
“I’m pleased to support these projects and partnerships that are so vital to protecting our Duwamish watershed,” said Supervisor Joe McDermott.
One of the projects that received grant funding is the Downey Farmstead Restoration project in the city of Kent. Frager Road on the Downey site will be relocated away from the river’s edge to allow for future creation of the side channel network and expanded floodplain. The grant amount allocated to this project is $717,255.
“This project provides enormous environmental and flood protection benefits for Kent and the Green River. It’s a win-win,” said Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke. “A win for fish and for people! This funding will help provide ‘rest stops’ for salmon during high water flows, as well as safe refuge during the spring run-off. With the ability to plant more trees, we’ll shade the river and keep water temperatures cooler, especially during hot summers like the one we are having now. And for those of us concerned about flooding, this project will also provide additional floodplain storage to lower the flood level.”
The WRIA 9 Revegetation project will receive $250,000 for the “Green the Green” partnership. Businesses and environmental organizations will work together to implement a revegetation strategy that will address water temperature and riparian habitat concerns in the Green/Duwamish River.
“We at Water Resource Inventory (WRIA) 9 deeply appreciate the dedicated funding and partnership with the Flood Control district. With FCD support, the coalition of King County and 15 cities in the Green/Duwamish watershed are able to leverage millions of dollars in State, Federal and private entity monies to fund truly multi benefit projects,” said Marlla Mhoon, Covington City Councilmember and Co-Chair WRIA 9 Ecosystem Forum. “These projects provide the highest levels of flood protection, increases in river capacity, restoration of iconic Chinook salmon habitat, increases public access to the river and nearshore as it improves water quality. WRIA 9 and KCFCD – excellent partners!”
Grant recipients participating in the Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Program must address high priority habitats or watershed processes that significantly influence productivity in each basin. To ensure high quality projects, only those that have been scientifically vetted and ranked competitively by their respective WRIA Forum are candidates for funding. Cities, towns, special districts, public schools, King County, federally recognized tribes and non-profits are eligible to apply for the grants.
The Flood Control District Executive Committee oversees project selections and King County’s Water and Land Resources Division administers the grant allocation process. The Flood Control District board will pursue on-going funding for future watershed management actions given the relationship between flood control and stormwater projects and cooperative watershed management.
Visit KingCountyFloodControl.org to view a list of the ten WRIA 9 projects approved for funding.
