Title
A MOTION establishing a policy that determines the financial responsibility between King County and the King County flood control zone district for either the removal or the relocation, or both, and mitigation of logjam hazards in King County rivers; and requesting the department of natural resources and parks in concert with the King County flood control zone district to develop an implementation plan to effectuate the financial responsibility policy.
Body
WHEREAS, King County and the King County flood control zone district, although separate legal entities, share the common goal of helping to protect residents of King County from the effects of flooding, and
WHEREAS, the King County flood control zone district contracts with King County to perform flood protection projects, flood facility maintenance and support services, and
WHEREAS, in 2016, multiple logjam hazards developed along the Cedar river, and
WHEREAS, in July 2016, the King County sheriff's office closed nine miles of the Cedar river between Maple Valley and Renton to all recreational use due to the hazards of the large trees and logjams, and the river remains closed in 2017, and
WHEREAS, policy RCM-1 in the 2006 King County flood hazard management plan states: "naturally occurring accumulations of large woody debris should be repositioned or relocated for flood hazard management purposes only if one or more of the flood and channel migration risks in policy G-2 is present and all reasonable flood and channel migration risk reduction alternatives have been considered," and
WHEREAS, the policy G-2 flood risks in the 2006 King County flood hazard management plan identified "threats to public safety" as the top priority risk when evaluating flooding and channel migration, and
WHEREAS, the King County "procedures for managing naturally occurring large wood in King County rivers" states that if a logjam has been determined to be a risk to public safety "actions should be selected to mitigat...

Click here for full text