Flood Safety

About this measure: This measure describes the flood hazard risks reduced through the King County flood protection program. King County's flood protection program went through a significant transition in 2007, and this one-time measure describes the degree the program was authorized and funded. Future measures will assess changes in flood risk exposure and vulnerability that result from implementation of the County's flood protection program.

2007 results: During 2007 King County took several significant steps to identify and respond to the flood hazards facing our communities. First, in January 2007, the King County Council adopted the 2006 Flood Hazard Management Plan, updating the 1993 Flood Hazard Reduction Plan. This Plan includes an evaluation of flood hazard vulnerabilities and an action plan of capital projects and programmatic activities intended to reduce flood risks throughout the County.

Following adoption of the Plan, the Council then authorized the formation of the King County Flood Control Zone District (KCFCZD) under RCW 86.15, including the voluntary establishment of an Advisory Committee of 15 elected officials to provide the KCFCZD Board of Supervisors with expert policy advice on the District's work program priorities and budget. The Advisory Committee is supported by King County staff with input and recommendations from Basin Technical Committees comprised of public works and planning officials from cities throughout the County.

Based on input from the Basin Technical Committees and King County staff over the spring and summer of 2007, the Advisory Committee submitted a recommended work program and budget to the Board of Supervisors in August, including a recommended funding level for 2008. In November 2007 the Board adopted these recommendations and authorized funding of approximately $33 million in 2008 for capital and operating programs targeted at repairing flood damage from the November 2006 floods and initiating levee rehabilitations on each major river system in the County.

2007 target: During 2007 the target for the flood risk reduction program were as follows:

• Adoption of a comprehensive flood risk reduction plan to guide the County's flood risk reduction efforts
• Creation of a countywide Flood Control Zone District to provide consistent, efficient, and strategic flood protection services throughout the County.
• Adoption of a work program and budget sufficient to implement the recommendations of the 2006 Flood Plan.

Influencing Factors: King County's ability to implement the meet 2007 targets was influenced by the participation, involvement and support of cities through the Basin Technical Committees and the Advisory Committee, as well as actions by the KCFCZD Board of Supervisors.

Strategy Going Forward: Activities during 2007 established the planning, funding, and decision-making foundations for King County's flood protection efforts. During 2008 we will be evaluating methods for assessing the flood hazard reduction impacts of the District's capital and operating programs. There are several possible approaches, ranging from the relatively coarse Hazard Vulnerability Analysis contained in the 2006 Flood Plan to the data-intensive HAZards United States (HAZUS) software package developed by FEMA. The successful approach must include basic risk assessment capabilities, such as:

1. Identification of flood, erosion, and channel migration hazards,
2. Assessment of the potential impacts of the hazard based on past flood conditions, current flow data and land use, and tailored to each major river system and individual river reaches,
3. Analysis of the hazard exposure or vulnerability for a selected area including impacts to life, safety and health, structures, natural and environmental areas, future development and economic areas.
4. Estimate the impacts of both capital and programmatic actions implemented by the King County Flood Control Zone District.

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