FbD Lunch & Learn:

Celebrating The Work and Outcomes

December 7th, 2023

Agenda

​

• 12:00 - 12:05 - Welcome and Introductions

​

• 12:05-12:45 - Project Highlights

​

• 12:45-12:55 - Discussion

​

• 12:55-1:00 - Upcoming Lunch and Learns; FbD Network Announcements, recording ends

​

• 1:00 - 1:30 Informal post Lunch and Learn chat

Today’s Speakers:

• Adam Cares, Natural Resource Planner for Stevens County, will speak on the Colville River Floodplain Restoration Pilot Project and efforts to identify additional projects on an adjacent reach of the Colville River.
• Troy Havens, Water Resources Division Manager for Yakima County, will speak on the Nelson Dam replacement project on the Naches River. Nelson Dam was removed and replaced with a new diversion structure that allows for year-round fish passage , decreases flood risk for nearby landowners and improves water supply opportunities for the community.
• Jessica Hamill and Darcey Hughes, Snohomish County, Jessica worked for Ecology in the early days of FbD and worked with folks to help build the grant program. Jessica is a Project Specialist IV with Snohomish County and manages the Community Floodplains Solutions (CFS) program which is working collaboratively to implement Farm-Fish-Flood benefits in the Snohomish basin. Darcey is Surface Water Management's Funding Coordinator and works with Jessica (and others) to ensure the CFS actions are fully funded across different funding sources. Darcey has an extensive background in land conservation and was able to put those skills to good use helping Jessica and Adrienne Hulbert (SWM's real property specialist) secure over 240 acres of floodplain property since 2020.
• Judy Blanco is a Basin Steward within the Water and Land Resources Division of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks. Her project areas include the Cedar River, Issaquah Creek, and Sammamish River. Her work includes prioritizing and sponsoring large scale floodplain restoration projects such as Riverbend, acquiring open space along riparian corridors with a focus on salmon recovery, collaborating on riparian restoration projects with nonprofit partners, and assisting the public with stewardship of private streamside properties.
• Mike Mactutis is the City of Kent’s Environmental Engineering Manager, which is responsible for many aspects of water quality protection and environmental conservation and restoration. Mike served as the first project manager for the Downey Restoration for the initial planning and property acquisition.
• Melissa Dahl is an Environmental Engineer with the City of Kent and is involved in managing a number of habitat restoration and flood reduction projects for the City. Melissa was the project manager for the Downey restoration project through it’s 5 years of construction.
• Randy Johnson, Habitat Program Manager for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, will present on the Rivers Edge levee setback and floodplain restoration project. 9,000’ of federal levee was setback along the lower Dungeness River to reconnect the floodplain with new off-channel habitat while providing flood protection to the town of Dungeness.
• Mike Auger, Conservation Director for the North Olympic Land Trust, will speak on recent agricultural conservation easements closed in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley as part of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe's FbD project.

Stevens County

Ongoing design and permitting of Floodplain Pilot Project on the Colville River. Highlights include:

​

• Development of costing model that can be updated as conditions change, ie. fuel costs.

​

• Working with Avista to locate and address gas line.

Reach Scale Planning:

• 80%+ stakeholder engagement within planning area. 10 mi² planning area, 5 river miles
• LiDAR acquisition and Height Above River Model for entire area
• Identified 180 acres of flooded peat wetland for floodplain restoration
• Formation of Technical Advisory group to evaluate and rank floodplain projects within planning reach.
• Strategic planning with landowners and TAG – 6 meetings in 2023

​

​

Colville River

Additional Reach Scale Work In 2023:

• Transducer install to monitor water depth and flow within 500-acre peat wetland (pictured)
• Ongoing conversations, trust-building, and strategic planning with landowners to develop project alternatives
• 160+ acres of flooded peat wetland tee’d up for floodplain restoration
• Watershed scale GIS analysis, identification of future planning areas.

​

​

Flooded fields within Floodplain Planning Reach, 2023

Nelson Dam Removal

Supported by two separate FbD grants

Nelson Dam Removal

Supported by two separate FbD grants

FISH LADDER

IRRIGATION

HEADWORKS

FISH BYPASS

CONCRETE SILL

Former Facility Overview

Nelson Dam Removal

Supported by two separate FbD grants

Occluded

FISH LADDER

Limits Passage

IRRIGATION

HEADWORKS

Needs consolidation with

downstream diversions

FISH BYPASS

OFTEN BURIED

Site Specific Problems

Life Safety Hazard

Beyond Design Life

CONCRETE SILL

In-water

FISH LADDER

flow control

Reach Based Problems - Sediment

Original Flood Insurance Rate Map which was in effect from 1984 to 2008. Dark Blue is Floodway, Light Blue is Floodplain, Orange line is extent of Ramblers’ Park levee when the hydraulic model for the map was developed, and Yellow Circle is location of Nelson Dam.

​

US 12

​

Flood Insurance Rate Map in effect since 2009. Dark Blue is Floodway,

Light Blue is Floodplain, Orange line is extent of

Ramblers’ Park levee when the hydraulic model for the map was developed, and

Yellow Circle is location of Nelson Dam.

Problem Statement

Reach Based Problems Ever increasing Flood Risk

Damage History–February 11, 1996 Orthophoto

2 days after crest

Problem Statement

Reach Based Problems – Infrastructure Attack

Note: Levee almost breached, after which wrecked cars

may have been floating down the Naches River and more severe damages to Powerhouse Road and Hwy. 12 would have occurred.

Ramblers Park On Lower Naches River

(Almost Two Weeks After Peak of Flood)

Naches River Trying to Form a New Channel Through the Wrecking Yard

current

Problem Statement

Reach Based Problems Infrastructure Attack

Thank you! Ecology

Floodplains by Design (2015)

Design – Phase 4/5

Nelson Dam Removal Physical Model

Phase IV/V Floodplains by Design

Thank you! Ecology

Floodplains by Design (2015)

Design – Phase 4/5

Nelson Dam Removal Physical Model

Phase IV/V Floodplains by Design

Boat Passage

Fish Passage

Sediment Passage

Rock Sizing

Thank you! Ecology

Floodplains by Design (2015)

Design – Phase 4/5

Nelson Dam Removal 2D Model

Phase IV/V Floodplains by Design

Boat Passage

Fish Passage

Sediment Passage

More Alternatives

Thank you! Ecology

Floodplains by Design (2015)

Design – Phase 4/5

Nelson Dam Removal 2D Model

Phase IV/V Floodplains by Design

Rock Sizing

10/01/2021

First Phase Begins – Center of River

Granted expanded in-water work window

Pretty smooth permitting with excited regulators/stakeholders

4/29/2022

Second Phase – Sluiceway/Headworks

Concurrent Phases 2 and 3

4/29/2022

Monitor, Operate and Maintain

Successful by the three P’s

Media (Ctrl+Click Image to visit site)

Fly-through Tour

of Completed Project

Pre-Construction

Outreach Video

Weekly Progress

Time-Lapse Video

THANK YOU ☺

Snohomish County - Community �Floodplain Solutions (CFS)

CFS Program Land Conservation Accomplishments

FbD Lunch & Learn

December 7, 2023

​

​

25

Meet the Challenges Together

Partners

Web Map – Decision Support Tool

30 Acres - Floodway Secured for Integrated Actions

Phase I Accomplishments - NEW 30 ACRES AVAILABLE

Agreement with local farmer on 20 acres – agreement provides credits for site management and stewardship like site clean-up

ADDITIONAL 207 ACRES PRESERVED

Roth Family Farm Preservation

RELOCATION - URA

Downey Farmstead Restoration Project

City of Kent

Project Progress

​

Initial Conditions

Current Conditions

Downey Project Goals and Objectives

1. Provide off-channel rearing and refuge habitat
2. Provide shade for the Green River
3. Increase floodplain storage

Downey Farmstead Restoration Project

City of Kent

May 2022

Rivers Edge

Before and After – Floodplain Expansion

Rivers Edge

Before and After

Footprint of former Corps levee

Corps levee

Lower Rivers Edge

JST Removing old levee 9/2022

Clallam County constructing new levee 10/2022

12/27/2022

12/27/2022

2010

2023

Footprint of 1964 Levee

1964 Levee

Oxbow

Oxbow

2022 Levee

2010

2022

Removal of the 1964 Levee

1/20/2023

11/2/2022

The former Corps Levee

Removed by JST in October 2022

The former Corps Levee Removed by JST in October 2022

The former Corps Levee Removed by JST in October 2022

2023

1997

Removal of the 1964 Levee

Until October 14, 2022 this was the Corps of Engineers Levee. Photo taken 1/20/2023

10/28/2022

1/20/2023

The Oxbow

Instant

American Serengeti

Beavers

Bobcats

Coyotes, ducks, wading birds, raptors

Salmon Utopia

Thank you

Floodplains by Design funded Agricultural Conservation Easement Projects

​

Mike Auger, Conservation Director, North Olympic Land Trust

michael@northolympiclandtrust.org

​

and many more to come!

Thoughts?

Please share your comments, questions or concerns here. If you’d like to be included in follow-up, please leave your name and contact information.

Upcoming Meetings

January 18, 1-230pm: Join us to Prioritize the Year Ahead! We’ll send out a rescheduled invitation for the Culture & Capacity Action Group meeting to have partners join us to reflect on the past year of programming and help inform priority topics we should try to cover in 2024!

​

The January 18th meeting will replace the regularly scheduled lunch and learn.