The Pierce County Council is set to vote on the formation of a county-wide flood control district at its regular meeting next week with just a few amendments made since it was first proposed and with strong messages of “intent” from council members for the district’s yet-selected board of supervisors.
One big amendment will allow cities and towns to apply for “opportunity fund” dollars from the district that would total some 10 percent of the tax revenue collected within the municipality to help pay for its own flood control projects. The fund was a concession for cities like Gig Harbor, DuPont, Steilacoom, University Place and Milton that do not see direct effects of seasonal flooding the way Fife and low-lying areas do. Elected officials in those areas wondered why they should support a flood control tax that they would not likely see much benefit from since their areas do not flood. They argued that residents in flood-prone areas should bear that cost. Much of the county’s flood control dollars will be going to projects in and around the Puyallup River, after all.
The council added language about the formula to fund local projects as a way to gain support from Pierce County’s 23 cities and towns.
"As far as I am concerned, 90 percent of something is better than 100 percent of nothing," County Council Chairwoman Joyce McDonald said.
Once created, the flood control district’s board of supervisors will have the authority to tax property owners up to 50 cents per $1,000 in property value, although the County Council has set its revenue projections based on just 10 cents per $1,000, or $20 a year for a $200,000 house. The council will further ask the supervisors to hold to that rate, although state law does not mandate that it actually does. The tax, under the lower rate, is projected to bring in $8 million a year to leverage federal and state grants to fund flood prevention and control projects.
Many projects in Pierce County, such as the levees along the Puyallup River, are in need of upgrades to meet current federal requirements.
“There is millions of dollars worth of work that needs to be done to protect major infrastructure in Pierce County and the funds are not there," McDonald said.
The backlog of work comes on two fronts. First there are higher standards for flood control projects and the current funding method for flood control work is funded only by taxes collected from properties in unincorporated areas.
"It really isn't enough," McDonald said.
Urbanization of flood-prone areas and the location of Interstate 5 in the center of the flood zone make the potential of major impacts from a flood more likely than in previous years, she said. Operations at the Port of Tacoma and transportation along the West Coast on roads and rail lines could bring the county to a halt if floodwaters are not controlled.
“They are all at risk if we see major flooding in Pierce County," McDonald said. “It is the entire regional economy that we need to protect. We're one Pierce County, and we need each other."
Word that the district is stepping closer to formation comes as good news for water watchers in Fife, since the city often finds itself battling flooding issues along the Puyallup River as the waterway fills up with rain runoff and melting snow from as far away as Mount Rainier as the water works its way to Commencement Bay.
"We all know the levy is the least maintained piece of dirt in Pierce County, and it impacts us hugely,” Fife City Councilmember Pat Hulcey said. “It is something we need to take care of.”
The levees on the river do not meet current federal standards. Estimates put the price tag of the current roster of projects at $300 million. Pierce County has 11 significant floodplains along the Puyallup, White, Carbon, Nisqually, Greenwater and Mashel rivers, and South Prairie Creek. The floodplains range from the very urban nine miles along the lower Puyallup River to the rural Nisqually River between Elbe and Ashford. Many of the levees along these rivers were built more than 80 years ago by farmers to protect their fields. Now, these aging levees protect major business centers, residences and critical public facilities such as roads, bridges and sewer treatment plants.
Interstate 5, State Route 167 and Highway 410 are at risk of closure from flooding. The economic impact of recent similar closures in Lewis County exceeded $10 million per day. That county did not have a flood control district and had to forgo some $20 million in state money for flood projects because it did not have the matching money required and there was no consensus on what projects should be priorities.
The 2006 and 2009 floods in Pierce County caused tens of millions of dollars in property damage. It has been estimated that a major flood in Pierce County could generate flood-related losses in excess of $725 million in damages and lost productivity. Along with the potential closure of major roadways around the county, three major wastewater treatment plants, serving more than 200,000 people, are at risk of damage from flooding. Loss of a treatment plant, even temporarily, can expose Commencement Bay and Puget Sound to millions of gallons of untreated sewage.
“With forecasts of more extreme weather, we could suffer a serious flood every two or three years and that flooding could grow worse,” Pierce County reports stated. “Flooding in Pierce County affects every resident. Floods disrupt jobs, shopping, health care, schools, recreational activities and emergency response throughout the region. A major flood's impact lingers when roads, bridges or utility lines are damaged, affecting everything from grocery distribution to aircraft assembly plant operations. Employees and customers of major economic centers, such as the Port of Tacoma and Joint Base Lewis McChord, rely on the transportation network. Floods threaten lives, property, major transportation corridors, communities and regional economic centers.”
Pierce County has experienced a federally declared flood disaster nine times in the last 20 years. According to University of Washington scientists, climate change is projected to increase the frequency of flooding in most western Washington river basins. Future floods are expected to exceed the protective abilities of the existing flood facilities, making future damage caused by floods almost certain.
