EVERETT — Snohomish County announced on Tuesday it received a $10 million grant from Washington’s Department of Ecology for continued floodplain management work.
The grant comes from the state’s Floodplains by Design program and will support 13 projects throughout the county.
“We’re grateful to the State of Washington for supporting this important work,” Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers wrote in a July 1 press release. “Through strong partnerships, we’re advancing efforts that reduce flood risk and restore salmon habitat, efforts that benefit our environment, economy, and quality of life.”
Almost $4.5 million grant dollars will be passed to project partners including the Tulalip Tribes, Snohomish Conservation District, Washington Farmland Trust, Ducks Unlimited, and Adopt A Stream Foundation.
The Chinook Marsh project will receive $1.1 million to continue work to reconnect 400 acres of floodplain habitat and protect the city of Everett’s water line. Another $1 million will support the Office of Agriculture’s new Ag Tech Program to support farmers and sustainable practices, and the remaining $3.3 million will go toward county-led projects.
A report done by the University of Washington’s Climate Impact Group showed peak flows for the Stillaguamish and Snohomish rivers will increase in the future from about 10 to 40% by the end of the century. Even now, flooding is the costliest natural hazard for the area, according to the county.
A study done by Allstate, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation found that for every $1 spent on climate resilience and preparedness, communities save $13 in cleanup costs and economic impacts.
“Integrated Floodplain Management requires years of planning and cooperation between multiple agencies and willing landowners,” Snohomish County Surface Water Management Director Gregg Farris said in the press release. This grant will “bring relief to flood-impacted residents and local farmers, but it also helps support threatened salmon runs and local agriculture.”
Eliza Aronson: 425-339-3434; eliza.aronson@heraldnet.com; X: @ElizaAronson.
Eliza’s stories are supported by the Herald’s Environmental and Climate Reporting Fund.
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