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HomeMy WebLinkAbout102416_cabs02Consent Agenda 615 Sheridan Street Mon Port Townsend, WA 98368 www.JeffersonCountyPublicHealth.org Public Healt October 18, 2016 JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST TO: Board of County Commissioners Philip Morley, County Administrator FROM: Tami Pokorny, Environmental Health Specialist Il DATE: October 24, 2016 SUBJECT: Agenda Request: Letter to Governor Inslee in Support of the Department of Ecology's Floodplain by Design Grant Program STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Environmental Health requests Board of Commissioner approval of a sign -on letter in support of $70M in funding for the Floodplains by Design grant program in the 2017-19 capital budget to advance multiple community priorities and enhance floodplain function and resilience across Washington State. ANALYSIS/STRATEGIC GOALS: For the past three years, Environmental Health has partnered with the Hood Canal Enhancement Group (HCSEG), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Hood Canal Coordinating Council Lead Entity, a Stakeholders and Trustees group, and others to develop goals and a restoration plan for the lower Big Quilcene River floodplain. Successful completion of the plan and its implementation will require contributions from multiple funding sources, including a pending HCSEG request to the Floodplains by Design (FbD) grant program overseen by the Department of Ecology. This grant program is intended to bring about a broad range of floodplain benefits through an integrated approach. The accompanying sign -on letter was developed by Bob Carey, strategic partnerships director for TNC in Washington State. He requests formal support for the $70M capital budget request from Floodplains by Design partners and supporters by October 31 to help ensure that significant progress is made state-wide to address increasing flood -related risks. This is far less than the 145M requested from 56 projects across the state for the 2017-19 biennium. At the 70M level, we anticipate that HCSEG's request to FbD for the Big Quilcene River stands a good chance of being funded. Community Health Developmental Disabilities 360-385-9400 360-385-9401 (f) Always working for a safer and healthier community Environmental Health Water Quality 360-385-9444 (f) 360-379-4487 FISCAL IWACT: The costs to review and approve of this letter are negligible. Match requirements of any future Floodplains by Design grants will be met with other state or federal sources, most likely in partnership with the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group. RECOMMENDATION: Review and approve sign -on to the Floodplains by Design sign -on letter to Governor Inslee. Tami Pokorny, EH staff member, will facilitate subsequent communication with Mr. Carey at TNC. REVIEWED BY: Philip Mor l ounty Ad - istrator Community Health Developmental Disabilities 360-385-9400 360-385-9401 (f) Date Always working for a safer and healthier community Environmental Health Water Quality 360-385-9444 (f) 360-379-4487 The Honorable Jay Inslee Governor of Washington State Office of the Governor PO Box 40002 Olympia, WA 98504-0002 October XX, 2016 Re: $70M in funding for the Floodplains by Design program in your 2017-19 capital budget Governor Inslee, We, the undersigned, are writing in support of the Department of Ecology's Floodplains by Design grant program. We respectfully request that you include $70 million in your 2017-19 capital budget. Floodplains by Design is a cost-effective and broadly supported way to advance multiple community priorities and build a more prosperous and resilient future. Multiple benefits, Multiple beneficiaries Washington rivers and their floodplains deliver a wealth of economic, natural and cultural benefits to our communities. Yet floodplain management has not kept pace with our growing communities. People are living in the path of flood waters; habitat critical to restoring salmon populations is disappearing; our water quality is declining. Working with those who know the land and waters best, the Floodplains by Design partnership is carrying out integrated, multiple benefit projects that support safer, prosperous communities and healthy, livable environments. Remarkable results in 4 short years The $80M appropriated by the legislature over the last two biennia for Floodplains by Design has leveraged another $100M in funding and enabled impressive on the ground outcomes. - 25 communities and nearly 500 families now live with less risk of flooding - Over 1000 acres of floodplain has been reconnected to increase flood storage and restore salmon habitat - Natural riverine processes have been restored along 10 miles of rivers - New public access and recreational trails have been built - 500 acres of prime farmland has been protected to sustain our thriving agricultural economy Integrated Floodplain Management is Good Governance The Problem: Historicallv. floodplain management Drograms were narrowlv focused as a base of knowledge and protects were built around complex topics such as reducing flood hazards to property and people, restoring salmon habitat, enhancing agriculture and improving water quality. While clarity about the scale and complexity of what is necessary to address these issues has grown, flood response and repair costs are increasing while federal funds for flood control facilities are decreasing and investments in habitat or water quality improvements are overwhelmed by investments in activities that degrade river functions. The Solution: Floodplains by Design is an ambitious program focused on accelerating important work on salmon, flooding, water quality and farms through an integrated approach that can lead to sustainable and cost- effective solutions to many floodplain management challenges. By working together, we can move beyond longstanding conflicts and increasing costs to improve the safety and resilience of the state's floodplains for the protection of human communities and the health of the ecosystem, while supporting values important in the region such as agriculture, clean water, a vibrant economy and recreation. Demand far outstrips available funding As exciting as these success stories are, the $80M appropriated by the legislature to date have only begun to address the substantial need for upgraded floodplain infrastructure. A survey of local flood control and salmon recovery plans estimated that the combined cost for reducing flood risk and restoring salmon habitat over the next 10 to 20 years in Puget Sound alone would cost approximately $3 billion. In their report to the Governor's salmon recovery office in 2011, Evergreen Funding Consultants estimated a need for approximately $3.413 in capital investment for floodplain protection and restoration projects in Washington. In 2014, Ecology's Floodplains by Design program received 72 proposals for a total request of nearly $180M — of which $35.5M (only 19%) was funded through the 2015-17 biennial budget. For 2017-19 biennium, Ecology has received another $145M in requests from 56 projects across the state. And local jurisdictions indicate there are many additional projects on the horizon. Each of these protects bring significant local and federal matching dollars; the $80M in state appropriations have leveraged more than $100M in other funding. Flood risk is increasing in Washington We now have substantial evidence that climate change will increase flood risk. Our glaciers are clearly receding, winter freezing levels are rising higher in the mountains, and we can anticipate more extreme rain events — all of these factors combine to exacerbate flood risk to our communities. Flooding disasters already costs the state more than any other natural disasters and we simply can't afford to delay response to these rising threats. Given this need and the rising flood costs and demands for habitat protection, we ask that you support $70M in funding for Floodplains by Design in your 2017-19 capital budget. Flood risk reduction and habitat protection are high priorities for our communities and across the state. Conducting this work in an integrated fashion that supports both community prosperity and environmental health is a cost- effective approach to solving some of the state's most pressing problems. Respectfully, The Undersigned Fl.00dplains by Design Giving rivers room to roam. During a January storm in 2009, a raging Puyallup River crested at 16,900 cubic feet per second (cfs). Homes, roads and schools were flooded, and 26,000 people were evacuated in one of the largest evacuations in the State's history. In November 2014, the Puyallup River again crested above 16,000 efs, yet there were almost no evacuations or flood damages. Floodplain restoration efforts that gave the river more room to roam proved to be effective at no longer issues flood warnings for Orting at 4500 ds; they are now issued at a much higher 10,000 cfs. By giving the river more room, the Calistoga Reach Floodplains by Design project is providing multiple benefits. The project more than doubled the width of the river by setting back 1.5 miles of levee and reconnecting a major side channel —giving salmon a place to spawn and rear, and allowing floodwaters to spread out and slow down. The project also created a riverfront park for the reducing flooding. In fact, The National Weather Service community to enjoy.