By Kat Morgan, Associate Director, Puget Sound Conservation for The Nature Conservancy
As November brings rain back to Washington, it’s time to examine how we can better prepare for flooding.
Floods are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters in Washington State.
Stillaguamish River flooding in Stanwood, 2015. © Julie Morse/TNC
Between 1956 and 2010, there were 33 major disaster declarations in Washington State made by presidents of the United States. All of these were for flooding. And our changing climate is expected to cause more frequent and intense flooding in Washington.
Since 2000, floods have cost the United States more than $845 billion in damage to homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure. The expense of adapting to more frequent and severe storms is projected to rise over the next several decades, placing a premium on the need to take action now to reduce the impacts of future floods.
It’s time to rethink how we plan and prepare for flooding. We simply can’t afford not to.
While constructed infrastructure—like dams, levees, seawalls, and breakwaters—will always play an important role, these approaches alone are no longer sufficient for a world where flood and storm events are becoming more frequent, extreme and costly. Plus, when flood control facilities fail – and they do – they fail big, often leading to catastrophic damages. Earlier this year, when more than 200 miles of levees were overtopped in the Midwest, we were reminded of this sobering reality.
Instead of working against nature, we must look to it as an essential partner in building resiliency for our communities and economies.
Just one acre of wetlands can hold about 1 million gallons of water—more than an Olympic-size swimming pool—reducing impacts on communities during floods. And for every $1 spent on restoring wetlands, more than $7 in direct flood-reduction benefit is achieved.
Nature is not only a cost-effective partner in reducing flood damages, it also provides additional benefits. Healthy natural areas support fisheries, wildlife, recreational opportunities and the outdoor industry. Wetlands filter out pollutants to improve water quality.
Healthy river and floodplain habitats around Puget Sound are absolutely critical for restoring Chinook salmon populations and thus the Southern Resident Orcas that depend on them for food.
The first priority during a flood is safety. The Washington State Department of Public Health has tips for people facing flooding.
Orca breaching © Joel Rogers
In Washington State, Floodplains by Design (FbD) is an ambitious public-private partnership to re-think how we manage our river floodplains, and better prepare for flooding exacerbated by a changing climate. The partnership’s goal is to improve the resiliency of floodplains for the protection of human communities and the health of the ecosystem, while supporting values important to communities such as agriculture, clean water, a vibrant economy and outdoor recreation.
Collaborative floodplain management efforts that integrate built infrastructure with wetland protection and restoration are underway on many rivers in the state. The Nature Conservancy and its public and private partners in the Floodplains by Design program across the state are working to:
Champion integrated floodplain management as a resilient, cost-effective approach
Support communications, collaboration and learning across the network of floodplain practitioners
Increase funding for collaborative planning and project implementation
Support changes to policies to support a transition to integrated river management
Measure progress of project implementation and improvements to the floodplain management system to support continuous learning and improvement
To date the Washington Legislature has invested more than $165 million capital dollars across the state through the Floodplains by Design grant program to help communities invest in and upgrade both natural solutions to flood protection and traditional infrastructure in a way that integrates community interests and plans for the long term.
We are already seeing real impacts from FbD investments in reducing flood damage in Washington floodplains. Since projects began being implemented in 2014, flood events that formerly led to the largest evacuations in state history have been completely avoided. In recognition of a series of projects that moved people and levees back from the edge of the Puyallup River near the town of Orting, the National Weather Service has more than doubled the flow volume at which it issues flood warnings for that river.
The Puyallup River flows through the town of Orting. © Paul Joseph Brown with aerial support from LightHawk
With over 45 projects underway in communities across the state, much progress is being made. This coalition is also looking at developing state and local policies that support integrated floodplain management, including nature-based solutions where they make sense, particularly giving our rivers room to roam.
As the rain returns to Washington this winter and the potential for devastating floods is heightened, the Conservancy and our partners in Floodplains by Design are working to help communities find a safer future alongside our rivers in ways that allow communities to thrive, while also conserving habitats that our beloved salmon and orcas depend on.
Banner photo by Paul Joseph Brown, with aerial support from LightHawk.
