How King County got people out of harm’s way and better protected homes and infrastructure years before current flooding

Summary

King County’s multi-benefit approach to floodplain restoration has reduced flood risks to people, homes, and infrastructure while also improving habitat for fish and wildlife.

News

Major floodplain restoration projects completed in recent years by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks has reduced flood risks along the Green, Cedar, and Snoqualmie rivers, getting people out of harm’s way long before the current flooding began earlier this month.

Applying a multi-benefit approach to floodplain restoration has reduced flood risks for people, homes, and infrastructure while also improving habitat for fish and wildlife. The Department of Natural Resources and Parks has partnered with the independent King County Flood Control District to restore natural systems that absorb and slow the flow of rivers during floods in addition to offering home buyouts so residents in flood-prone areas can choose to relocate to safer ground, decreasing the need for emergency evacuations.

The flood-risk reduction strategy is in addition to King County’s emergency response that includes the Flood Patrol and the Flood Warning Center that have been operating nonstop since the rivers began rising Dec. 8.

“A big reason our frontline responders have not had to perform more emergency evacuations is because we had already gotten a lot of families out of harm’s way years before the current storm hit our region,” said John Taylor, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks. “By unifying our work to simultaneously reduce flood risks and improve habitat, our employees and partners have prevented flood damages and potentially saved lives.”

The Department of Natural Resources and Parks in 2024 completed King Couty’s largest floodplain restoration project along the Snoqualmie River, protecting homes, farmland, and roads. One year earlier, the department completed a 52-acre project along the Cedar River after helping residents in a mobile home park relocate to housing outside the flood-prone area. A year before that, the department restored a critical section of the Green River, now known by its traditional Lushootseed name, čakwab, pronounced “chock-wab.”

“An effective approach to reducing flood risk is to set back levees and replace them with modern facilities that allow wider, more natural river corridors, which is what we’ve been doing on several rivers in King County,” said Josh Baldi, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks’ Water and Land Resources Division. “It’s hard to calculate something you prevent, but getting people out of harm’s way and onto safer ground is an effective approach. Giving rivers some breathing room also builds greater resilience particularly as we see the growing effects of climate change.”

At each of the locations, King County and its partners removed levees that were installed in the 1960s, replacing them with more natural features that require less maintenance and are more resilient to climate impacts. Crews installed underground flood protections and earthen berms to better protect homes and roads. 

The wider, more natural landscapes provide more room for wild rivers to expand during rainy seasons while reducing risks to people, homes, and infrastructure. Crews also created slower, meandering side channels that provide salmon a safe place to rest, hide from predators, and prepare for their transition from freshwater to saltwater. 

“Our cutting-edge approach to flood risk reduction integrates climate modeling and nature-based design to produce better results for people, fish, and wildlife,” said Michelle Clark, Executive Director of the King County Flood Control District. “Our staff and partners have demonstrated that we can protect both people and nature with the same projects.”

This interactive map includes floodplain restoration projects coordinated by the Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

Quotes

“A big reason our frontline responders have not had to perform more emergency evacuations is because we had already gotten a lot of families out of harm’s way years before the current storm hit our region. By unifying our work to simultaneously reduce flood risks and improve habitat, our employees and partners have prevented flood damages and potentially saved lives.”

John Taylor

Director of King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks

“An effective approach to reducing flood risk is to set back levees and replace them with modern facilities that allow wider, more natural river corridors, which is what we’ve been doing on several rivers in King County. It’s hard to calculate something you prevent, but getting people out of harm’s way and onto safer ground is an effective approach. Giving rivers some breathing room also builds greater resilience particularly as we see the growing effects of climate change.”

Josh Baldi

Director of King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks’ Water and Land Resources Division

“Our cutting-edge approach to flood risk reduction integrates climate modeling and nature-based design to produce better results for people, fish, and wildlife. Our staff and partners have demonstrated that we can protect both people and nature with the same projects.”

Michelle Clark

Executive Director of King County Flood Control District

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