The Pierce County Council may be trying to once again form a flood control district, but from their vantage point on the hill, the Bonney Lake city council is still not entirely sold on the idea.
Members of the council questioned county Public Works and Utilities Director Brian Ziegler for more than an hour during a presentation on the county’s plans to re-create a Flood Control Zone District that was formed and disbanded last year following a lawsuit from several of the cities within the county.
“The flood risk did not go away just because the flood district was dissolved,” Ziegler said.
Ziegler said the county estimates the potential losses due to a large flood in the valley cities could reach upwards of $725 million and affect 21,000 residents and nearly 12,000 jobs, not including potential service interruptions to the 216,000 people served by three wastewater treatment plants located in the flood zone, including the Sumner/Bonney Lake facility.
A flood could also affect the ability of the 25 percent of the population that drives to King County for work unable to get through until the water recedes.
Ziegler said there are more than $100 million worth of projects slated for the lower Puyallup River and presently, residents of unincorproated Pierce County have been paying for flood mitigation and levee work for those living in the valley cities.
“A flood control zone district is a way for all the parties to take ownership in the river,” he said.
A Flood Control Zone District would give the county council, acting as the board of directors for the county-wide district, to levy taxes to raise money for flood projects. Ziegler said the council is committed to imposing a tax of no more than 10 cents per $1,000 assessed home value, which could raise up to $8.5 million for flood-related capital projects.
But members of the Bonney Lake council were not easily swayed, returning again and again to the idea of equity, pointing out that flooding is not a particular concern for those who live on the plateau.
They also questioned why the county and other cities continue to allow building within their flood plains.
Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman said he lived in Kent several years ago and was flooded out of his home. After that, he decided to move up hill to ensure that wouldn’t happen again. The decision led to a more expensive home and a longer commute, but brought peace of mind.
“I drive that extra piece because I know my house won’t get flooded,” he said.
Ziegler said the legislation that allows for the creation of a flood control zone also allows variable subzone taxing based on the river systems. There are four such zones in Pierce County, but Bonney Lake is included with the Puyallup River, meaning residents on the hill would be paying the same taxes as those in Sumner and Puyallup, which the council feels would benefit more and should therefore pay more.
“What’s the incentive?” asked Councilmember Laurie Carter about Bonney Lake’s inclusion in the zone.
Though a new flood wall at the Sumner/Bonney Lake Wastewater Treatment Facility is included in the project lists, the council said they were moving ahead to build the wall without the flood control zone.
“We don’t think we should wait another winter,” Councilmember Jim Rackley said.
Ziegler also said initial plans for the zone would include 10 percent of revenue to go to the cities for their projects and suggested Bonney Lake could benefit by that, but it is not yet settled how that money would be dispersed.
Councilmember Mark Hamilton said he understands the need for the zone and sees some of the benefits in it, but wondered why there was a not a single project on the list to keep water from running off the hills and into the valley, adding that those in the valley should pay “significantly more” than hill cities.
Ziegler said that was a “consistent message” from non-valley cities regarding the district.
The Bonney Lake Council opposed the created of the Flood Control Zone in 2010. The County Council is expected to take up the issue again this fall.
