Flood threat gone, Green River sandbags removed

KENT — Crews have begun removing thousands of sandbags lining up the Green River now that the threat of a disastrous flood is long gone.

KOMO News reported the bags were first put in place three years ago at a cost of $31 million after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers warned the Howard Hanson Dam had a one in three chance of breaking.

The bags were stacked 3-feet high along a 26-mile stretch from Auburn to Tukwila.

Cleaning up will cost $5.8 million. None of the material that filled the sandbags can be reused.

The flood control district overseeing the project said citizens should not try to haul away the fill dirt themselves. Officials said the bags are heavy and any spills into the river could cause environmental damage.