KPLU Local News
(2010-03-18)
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Col. Anthony Wright, district commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, explains to elected officials his plan for repairing the leaky Howard Hanson dam in south King County.
Liam Moriarty/KPLU News
About $15 million has been spent so far on temporary repairs to the leaky dam on the Green River in south King County. This relatively dry winter hasn't yet put those fixes to the test.
Federal dam managers say another $44 million worth of short-term repairs could further reduce the risk of flooding. At a briefing, Col. Anthony Wright, district commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, said there are no funds for that in the current budget year. He says he's looking for places he might get that money, but, he says ...
" ... unless I find it, which I don't consider likely, you're facing one more flood season with the dam like it is."
Local elected officials - from county exec Dow Constantine to the mayors of Auburn, Kent and other cities in the flood zone - don't like the sound of that at all. They're calling on the state's congressional delegation to push for emergency federal funding.
It'll take about 6 months to make the repairs once the money is there. That means funds need to be secured by June, at the latest, for the fixes to be complete before next flood season.
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