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Floods With over 200 miles of waterfront, flooding is a natural concern in Seattle. We are surrounded on two sides by water and divided by a river and a canal. Surprisingly, these major features don't pose the major flood problem. Instead it is several creeks inside the city and a couple of rivers outside it. Major Incidents
Issues to Note There have been other flooding incidents, including in 1990, 1986, 1978, but the impacts seems to have limited and localized. Local flooding often accompanies winter storms that cause landslides and wind damage that tend to eclipse flood damage. Thornton Creek in Northeast Seattle and Longfellow Creek in West Seattle flood. A detention pond was built to mitigate damage on Thornton creek and a water quality channel in being built that will complement this work. Flooding on both creeks has been local events. Flooding on Longfellow Creek is being addressed in the Longfellow Creek Watershed Action Plan. Regionally, flooding is the most frequent natural hazard in Western Washington. City can be affected when the Puget Sound Lowlands flood. Not only is the regional transportation network disrupted, but both Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities own and operate facilities located outside the city limits on the Cedar, Tolt, Skagit River and Pend Oreille Rivers. Flooding can be a concern in these areas during times of heavy rains and extraordinary snowpack. Flooding in these areas can impact us by damaging facilities in these areas. On the Web How to Prepare for Floods (pdf). Information from the City of Seattle, King County and Washington State. Thornon Creek Water Quality Channel. Explains how the project will work Longfellow Creek. Explains the restoration project. |
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