EVERETT — The state Floodplains by Design program awarded almost $10 million this month to the Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Snohomish County plans to use the money for its Community Floodplains Solutions program, allowing the county to continue projects within the Snohomish River basin. The county said the grant will specifically advance work at floodplain sites near Sultan and Monroe, where streams and rivers eventually feed into the Snohomish.
Program leaders typically collaborate with landowners and acquire properties with significant flood risk, as well as potential for farmland preservation and salmon recovery.
“Not only does this funding have the potential to protect over $30 million of property from flood risk, it also supports tremendous economic benefit and local jobs,” the program’s manager, Jessica Hamill, said in a press release.
She said the grant may fund more than 165 jobs in the county, some of which are new, while some are sustained.
Floodplains by Design is a statewide program supporting projects aimed at reducing flood risk, improving fish and wildlife habitat and enhancing recreational opportunities in communities, according to a press release from the state Department of Ecology.
The grant to Snohomish County is part of the state agency’s broader effort to promote floodplain projects. The agency allocated $63 million in August to programs committed to transforming floodplains.
Ta’Leah Van Sistine: 425-339-3460; taleah.vansistine@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @TaLeahRoseV.
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