The Washington State Legislature has appropriated an additional $17 million in the current biennial budget to mitigate flood risk in the Aberdeen-Hoquiam area, adding to $18.5 million approved in the previous budget cycle.
Combined with nearly $100 million in federal Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities funding, the $35.5 million in state support has enabled the cities to advance the engineering and design phase of the levee system.
The project is in Grays Harbor County in western Washington, along communities north of the Chehalis River, particularly the stretch between the Wishkah and Hoquiam rivers.
The North Shore Levee, a 6.2-mile flood barrier spanning Aberdeen and Hoquiam, is designed to reduce flooding and remove large portions of the area from FEMA-designated flood zones. The project would affect about 3,100 properties along that span, including roughly 900 businesses.
Project officials estimate construction costs for the North Shore Levee at about $100 million and say this levee alone could save property owners an estimated $1 million annually in flood insurance premiums.
The North Shore Levee-West, a 4.7-mile system, would provide additional protection for Hoquiam, which has been particularly susceptible to flooding from storm surges and rising sea levels.
The combined total for the North Shore and North Shore-West segments is an estimated $160.5 million, affecting 5,100 properties.
Both cities sit at or near sea level. Officials say the earthen and concrete flood barriers could help stabilize existing businesses and attract new investments in Grays Harbor County. Adaptation to storms and climate change is part of the broader Chehalis Basin Strategy, an effort to make communities throughout the river basin safer and more resilient.
The project will be evaluated under the state’s Healthy Environment for All Act to assess environmental justice impacts, particularly in communities vulnerable to environmental or health risks. Following those reviews, construction is anticipated to run from 2027 through 2029.
Photo by US Army Corps of Engineers from USA, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
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