TACOMA – New flood protection-related projects are getting a boost in the arm thanks to recent work done by Pierce County’s relatively new Flood Control Zone District and the approval of more than $10 million for new construction in high-risk areas mostly along the upper and lower sections of the Puyallup River.

This is the first time the District’s Board of Supervisors have allocated flood district funds to specific capital improvement projects.

The bulk of this year’s funding will go to the District’s top two projects that are considered “shovel ready,” with construction set to begin as soon as the next few months.

The Board of Supervisors approved $6.4 million for the Calistoga Setback Levee, located in Orting, and $1 million for a flood wall around the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Tacoma, with a plan to allocate an additional $1 million each year for the following five years.

“Every year in Pierce County floods pose a potential threat to public safety and our economic livelihood,” said Supervisor and District Chair Joyce McDonald. “We can all be proud of the steps we are taking to proactively address the region’s major flood hazards. These new projects will protect residents, our regional economy, and the environmental health and safety of the Puget Sound.”

Projects for the District were selected based on a number of criteria including public safety, the level of benefit to the region, economic and environmental risks from flooding, frequency of flooding, ability to leverage funds, and readiness to construct.

The Calistoga Setback Levee, ranked the highest priority project for the district, will build1.5 miles of setback levee in the City of Orting and reconnect 46 acres of floodplain to the Puyallup River. It will also remove over 5,700 feet of existing levee, and install large apex jams, log spurs, roughened bank and native plantings that will help manage the river flow downstream.

This area has experienced several cases of flooding, endangering hundreds of homes, local business, two schools in the area and other public infrastructure.

The City of Orting has secured approximately $9 million in outside funding and needs an estimated $7.5 million to $8.3 million to construct the project. Action taken today by the District will enable the City of Orting to move forward with the project immediately.

Orting Mayor Cheryl Temple celebrated today’s milestone saying, “I believe in the purpose of the Flood Control Zone District. The Board of Supervisors made the very wisest decision in this first effort. The Calistoga levee benefits more than Orting. It benefits everyone down the river – Sumner, Puyallup, Fife, Tacoma and residents all over Pierce County.”

The flood wall for the Tacoma Wastewater Treatment Plant ranked second highest in the District’s priority list and will also be able to begin construction early next year because of the District’s investment of $1 million each year for the next six years.

The Tacoma Wastewater Treatment Plant is unprotected on the landside of the plant and vulnerable to floodwaters, posing an enormous environmental and economic risk to the region.

Tacoma City Councilman and Flood District Advisory Committee member Ryan Mello explained, “On a day-to-day basis, locating a waste water treatment plant in the low-lying port area is efficient and a smart thing for our community. But when it floods, this location can become a liability. An overflow from our central treatment plant would pollute Commencement Bay and Puget Sound causing negative economic impacts for the Port of Tacoma and waterfront businesses, recreation consequences for residents and environmental harm to wildlife. In the past, the City has had to pull emergency crews off of flood responses in other areas to secure the plant from rising waters. Residents throughout the region have reasons to be thankful for the Flood Control Zone District Board’s decision and the new flood wall that will be built with their support.”

The District will also invest $1.78 million into eight other priority projects vital to flood management to help get permitting and other phases underway so they can advance through the necessary requirements before being ready to build. The District is dedicating $1 million to projects that will qualify for 65% federal funding after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completes its General Investigation Study. The 2014 budget also includes money for the “Opportunity Fund” for cities to use on local projects.