SEATTLE—U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, flood teams are deployed to the Skagit and Nooksack river basins providing direct and technical assistance to local communities threatened with potential flooding.
Corps flood engineers are working around the clock in Lyman, Washington, to construct a 500-foot buried rock trench along a trail system adjacent to West Main St. “We’re executing a joint contingency plan developed by the City of Lyman, Skagit County, Washington State and the Corps to safeguard public infrastructure in Lyman,” said Doug Weber, Corps Emergency Manager. The project is expected to be complete Sunday.
Crews in Whatcom County are adding rock armor to the Sande-Williams levee downstream of Deming, Washington, to prevent scour and erosion, protecting the levee from high flows. In addition, flood engineers are continuing to monitor sections of other damaged levees and assessing structural reliability.
Engineers in the Corps’ Reservoir Control Center are monitoring conditions and are prepared to respond to forecasted flooding. The RCC manages and regulates Mud Mountain and Howard Hanson Dams, both located near Enumclaw. Both reservoirs are near empty and have storage space available to greatly reduce the risk of flooding on those rivers. They also manage Ross and Upper Baker dams in the Skagit River basin and Wynoochee dam in the Chehalis River basin when pre-defined flood flow thresholds are forecasted in those basins.
Public Law 84-99 enables the Corps to assist state and local authorities in flood fight activities and cost share in the repair of flood protection structures. The purpose is to prevent loss of life and minimize property damage associated with severe weather.
Private citizens seeking sandbags should contact their local government offices.
The National Weather Service issues flood watches and warnings and should be consulted for that information.
Release no. 18-069