The King County Flood Control District today approved more than $4 million in grant funding for a range of projects aimed at improving water quality, protecting and restoring habitat, and supporting salmon recovery efforts in four King County watersheds.
“The District is playing an important role by funding these vital projects,” said Reagan Dunn, Chair of the King County Flood Control District. “Investing in clean water, habitat restoration and salmon recovery efforts ensures our natural resources will be enjoyed by generations to come.”
“WRIA funding plays an important role in the overall ecological health of the region,” said Flood District Vice Chair Larry Gossett. “The funds help ensure that projects that aid in the health of regional waterways are completed.”
Today’s action by the Flood District board of supervisors will boost the efforts of local organizations by providing Cooperative Watershed Management Grant funds in the following areas:
- $1.5 million for the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed or Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 8
- $1.5 million for the Green/Duwamish Watershed (WRIA 9)
- $798,000 for the Snoqualmie Watershed (WRIA 7) [King County Part]
- $207,000 for the Puyallup/White Watershed (WRIA 10)
These grants help carry out King County-based WRIA salmon conservation projects for Endangered Species Act-listed species for each of the four WRIA according to annual priorities set by the WRIA Forums. The grants also help leverage additional funds. Total funding leveraged for the four WRIAs is nearly $9 million.
“Protecting our critical watersheds with the use of these grant funds helps to improve habitat for endangered salmon and their ecosystem while easing flood risks,” said Supervisor Larry Phillips, a founding member of the WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council. “These funds for WRIA habitat restoration work allow us to press forward on our region’s vital salmon recovery goals.”
“Water quality improvement, improving habitat and salmon recovery efforts are all important parts of the Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) portion of the Flood Control District’s mission,” said Supervisor Kathy Lambert. “These grants will enable many organizations to continue their good work in these areas across the county.”
WRIAs were created to restore watershed ecosystems for the purpose of recovering Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed salmon species in Puget Sound. The WRIAs are governed by “Watershed Forums” that are comprised of elected officials from jurisdictions within the respective WRIAs. The respective Forums propose the annual budget and identify what projects and programs may receive revenues. To ensure high quality projects, only those that have been scientifically vetted and ranked competitively by their respective WRIA Forum are candidates for funding.
“These grants are a great example of King County partnering with local organizations to protect the quality of our water and salmon habitats,” said Supervisor Jane Hague.
“This is important work,” said Supervisor Dave Upthegrove. “This funding will help restore and protect local rivers and the land around them.”
In the Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Program, projects must address high priority habitats or watershed processes that significantly influence productivity in each basin.
King County’s Water and Land Resources Division in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks administers the grant allocation process with the Flood Control District executive committee overseeing project selections. Cities, towns, special districts, public schools, King County, federally recognized tribes and non-profits are eligible to apply for the grants.
Visit the Flood Control District website to view a list of the projects approved for funding.
