Bill would help pay for levee fixes

Two storm-damaged levees in Snohomish County will cost an estimated $300,000 to fix, and federal funds are being sought for some of that work.

Under a proposal in Congress, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers might get $100,000 in funding to repair the Startup levee, located near the confluence of the Skykomish and Wallace rivers near Sultan.

“It’s a substantial levee,” said Paul Komoroske, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers emergency management branch chief in the Seattle office. “We want to make sure it remains solid.”

The Startup levee was on a top 10 list for repair work, Komoroske said.

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Congress is debating whether to approve the money as part of a proposed $22.6 million package for repairs of 58 levees in Washington damaged in recent storms.

The Hansen levee on the Skykomish River has an estimated $200,000 in damage but is not eligible for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funding, Komoroske said.

That might put Snohomish County on the hook for funding, he said.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Thursday that the proposed funding passed the Senate appropriations committee and was headed for the Senate floor. The bill would face further negotiations with the House or Representatives.

Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.

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