Since the flood of January 2009, the discussion of how we prevent flooding of residential areas has been a constant discussion. With additional requirements of the Endangered Species Act it is no longer as simple as dredging the river. However that does not mean debris removal should not be part of the equation.
First it should be pointed out that much of the property adjacent to the White River (including the park) is owned by King County, they are the lead agency in any mitigation. King County has long planned a levy setback on the east side of the river and the removal of armoring along the east bank to reintroduce a former oxbow back into the river. The City of Pacific has always supported this project and believe it is a part of the long term mitigation strategies. Since the flood of 2009 King County has expanded that idea to include a levy setback on the West side of the river as well. for the purpose of protection of our citizens, we support this project as well. It is how this project is aligned that we differ.
The West bank setback levy will run from the north side of Pacific Park (again, this is owned by King County) along 3rd Ave SE, this setback turns south along the west side of Pacific Park to the King/Pierce County Line. Where Pacific has long believed that it was possible to run this levy behind 11 homes on White River Drive, King County bought these homes, moved or destroyed them and plans on running the levy across the middle of those properties. This has disrupted the neighborhood feel of this area and has impacted the lives of not only those people who were forced to move, but the lives of everyone who live in the area. It is my contention that if they had run along the back side of this property, millions of dollars could have been spent on other facets of the project far more effectively.
In addition, without long term maintenance of the river, both of the levy setbacks will be obsolete in just a few years. The USGS recently completed a study that showed more than 750,000 tons of gravel, silt and other debris is moved down the White river each year. Much of that settles in the less steep areas from Game Farm Park to Sumner. That is why we see massive build ups in our city. With this much debris building up each year, how long would it take to over run all mitigation projects currently underway?
A USGS study completed in November of 2008 showed that at the A street bridge the base of the river had risen almost 6' in the previous 20 years. This build up raises the river level at all stages and reduces the capacity before you reach flood stage. At that same time the capacity of the White River was approximately 10,000 Cubic Feet per Second before water would over top any of the river banks in Pacific. In January 2009, so much debris flowed down the river that the capacity of the river was reduced to under 5000 CFS in spots.
Currently we will see water flowing over the wetlands area south and east of White River Estates anywhere from 4500 CFS to 6000 CFS dependent on how much the soil is saturated and a few other factors. In other words we no longer have the capacity needed for the Army Corps Engineers needs to safely operate the Mud Mountain Dam.
Now we do not need to do wholesale dredging. I believe we can remove debris safely without destroying fish habitat or the turbidity of the river. By scalping the top off of exposed gravel bars we can increase the capacity and maintain a safe river system.
As Mayor I will continue to fight to create safe, sustainable and affordable mitigation for our citizens. I do not feel this needs to be an either or situation and will not allow our city to be run over by King County or anyone else. I will make sure out interest are listened to. In the interim, I will work with all Stakeholders to make sure that we do not see a repeat of flooding this year by supporting the temporary measures and careful monitoring of the river throughout the river.
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