WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Whatcom and Skagit counties just got some key repairs to bolster their defenses ahead of flood season.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District recently wrapped up work to fix nine damaged levees across both counties.
They finished repairing three Whatcom County levees on Hannegan, Bylsma and Ritter roads on Oct. 24.
None of the three levees were in imminent danger of failing, but had suffered minor damage during last year’s flooding that increased the risk of failure if there were to be more flooding this winter.
Army Corps crews also finished repairing all six of Skagit County’s levees in October. That included restoration of the North Fork Skagit River levee in Mount Vernon, where they placed large armor rock to re-establish the levee prism and protect it against erosion.
“We went in and cleared the vegetation on the levee slope, to confirm the full extent of the damage caused in December,” said Sam Rosling, a Seattle District quality assurance representative, in a news release. “We then laid new rock, including some rock chips or fragments also known as spalls, followed by larger rocks and stone, and crushed rock on top of that. Finally, we placed topsoil and willows to re-start vegetation growth.”
The repairs were made under Public Law 84-99, which authorizes the Army Corps to work with local partners to repair and restore levees. They also utilized the Army Civil Works “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork” initiative, which is intended to accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure projects.
