The King County Flood Control District approved $225,000 in flood reduction grant funding for the City of Renton to remediate the recurring flooding on SW 43rd Street and Lind Avenue SW near Ikea.

The district announced the Flood Reduction Grant Program funding on Oct. 8. Through this grant program, the district reports it has awarded nearly $14 million to 31 projects across King County.

According to Joe Farah, Renton’s surface water engineering manager, the city applied for the grant because of the flooding at SW 43rd Street and Lind Avenue SW intersection and the demonstrable flood risk reduction benefits. The intersection has been flooding for multiple years, affecting Renton and a few Kent businesses near the intersection. Farah said on two different occasions, the intersection had to be closed for a little over two days because of flooding — once in December 2019 and once in March 2022.

Farah said this grant ensures sufficient funding for the design phase of the Lind Avenue SW Storm System Improvement project and reduces the funding needed from Renton utility ratepayers. Farah said that in 2023, they applied for a $500,000 grant through this program and received $250,000 of grant funding, and with the award of $225,000 of grant funds in 2024, Renton would receive a total grant amount almost equal to the originally requested amount in 2023.

This grant will go towards the project aiming to fix this flooding at the intersection through the planning and design of a new storm system, which will increase carrying capacity for stormwater and add an additional flow path for stormwater from SW 43rd Street and the upstream tributaries to Springbrook Creek, reducing flood risk in the entire area.

Farah said that when the intersection floods and closes, an emergency response is created, and personnel must always be there waiting to reopen the road as soon as feasible. Additionally, he said another negative of the flooding is private property flooding, which affects businesses parking lots.

“As a member of the King County Flood Control District’s Board of Supervisors, it has always been my goal to work to reduce flood risk while being good stewards of the environment,” said Dave Upthegrove, who sits on the King County Flood Control District and also represents South King County on the King County Council. “This project in Renton will directly protect residents in our community from flood risk and allow Springbrook Creek to flow uninterrupted, helping ensure preservation of the local flora and fauna.”