For the third time in as many weeks, Enumclaw’s Boise Creek reroute project has received yet another grant, this time from the King County Flood Control District.

The district approved the $1.25 million grant on Tuesday.

“I’m excited to see major funding provided to projects in Enumclaw that not only reduce the threat of flooding along important roadways, but also improve critical salmon habitat,” said Flood Control District Vice Chair Reagan Dunn in a press release. “This is a victory for our community and for our natural environment.”

Just in case you didn’t read the other two articles we’ve written on this subject, the Boise Creek routinely floods the Enumclaw Golf Course every year, making some holes unplayable and damages pathways.

Sometime in the near future, about 0.6 miles of the creek will be rerouted to flow along the forest at the east edge of the course. Chappel Springs, a Boise Creek tributary that runs in a 900-foot culvert through part of the golf course, will also be rerouted.

Not only will this prevent golf course damage, but benefit the salmon and trout that use the creek to spawn; Boise Creek hosts the highest wild steelhead and Chinook spawning density within the Puyallup River Watershed.

“The City of Enumclaw sincerely appreciates the FCD funding for this important project,” said Mayor Jan Molinaro in the same press release. “This project has multiple benefits to reduce flooding impacts to the Enumclaw Golf Course, but more importantly provide a vastly improved riparian habitat for Boise Creek and eliminates a 900-foot culvert in favor of a restored tributary channel that will provide spawning and rearing habitat for native salmonids. Thank you, King County Council and our District 9 Councilmember Reagan Dunn, for making this project possible.”

Another $22,000 has been directed to King County Drainage District #5, which is working on replacing a conveyance system that drains a large area of Enumclaw; a new system will hopefully reduce flooding along Cedar Street and Rainier Avenue.

Finally, the Flood Control District has awarded a further $400,000 to the King Conservation District for the purposes of helping agricultural property owners improve their drainage systems through technical and financial assistance.

For more information on these grants, contact Dunn at reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov.