Tacoma, Wash., Area Needs a Boost in Flood Control Projects

A new report says many river levees and other flood control structures in the Tacoma, Wash.,-area are inadequate and recommends more than $316 million in projects over the next 20 years, according to the News-Tribune.

The Pierce County plan, which took nearly three years to complete, examines flood risks and recommends solutions along the Puyallup, Nisqually, White and Carbon rivers.

The draft report, called the Rivers Flood Hazard Management Plan, says the county “faces significant challenges in the years ahead.”

“The aging system of flood management facilities, many of which were built in the 1960s or earlier, were built to a lower level of protection than what is now required to protect transportation, commercial and residential structures,” the document says.

The flood-management plan says current funds are inadequate to protect the area’s growing population. It also points out risks to three wastewater treatment plants for Tacoma, Puyallup and Sumner along the Puyallup River.