People who have experienced impacts from Cedar River flooding and those who are interested in river safety, habitat restoration, salmon recovery or river recreation are encouraged to attend a May 18 meeting in Renton.
Hosted by King County on behalf of the King County Flood Control District, the Cedar River Corridor Plan meeting is set for 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Renton Community Center, 1715 SE Maple Valley Highway in Renton.
There are 2,204 acres in the Cedar River 100-year floodplain, which is the area affected in a flood that has a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year. The 100-year floodplain contains 389 structures valued at more than $186 million, and during the last major flood event in 2009, there was an estimated $3.1 million in damages to river levees and revetments.
“While we have completed 25 major flood hazard management projects on the Cedar River since 2006,” Reagan Dunn, Chair of the King County Flood Control District, said in a press release, “we need a solid, long-range strategy with input from the community, which will provide improved flood protection for residents and businesses along the Cedar River while also improving the natural environment.”
King County employees will present examples of how the river’s biggest challenges, such as hot spots for flooding, and opportunities for restoration are being mapped.
The agenda will also cover ways to improve safety and reduce flood risks on the Cedar River ranging from removing or setting back levees so the floodplain can better absorb and convey floodwater; to working with willing owners to purchase floodplain property and move people out of harm’s way; to improving infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, to better protect State Route 169 and regional transportation.
Two 30-minute open house sessions at the beginning and end of the meeting are scheduled for residents to share experiences and ask questions. Information about the recent update to the river’s Channel Migration Zone mapping and a demonstration of the Cedar River Flood Level Viewer – an interactive tool to show a variety of river inundation scenarios for specific locations along the river – will be available.
Representatives from Seattle Public Utilities and Forterra will be present to answer questions about dam operations and Stewardship in Action river restoration work, respectively.
The plan is scheduled for completion by May 2016. More information about the project can be found at www.kingcounty.gov/rivers. Or contact Nancy Faegenburg at nancy.faegenburg@kingcounty.gov or 206-477-4688.
-from a press release
