Mayor Nickels Proposes Long-term Solution for Madison Valley Flooding
Northwest Diversion Option Received Wide Support from Local Community

For immediate release: 4/29/08

For more information, Contact: Seattle Public Utilities Customer Service, (206) 684-3000

SEATTLE — Mayor Greg Nickels today proposed a solution to chronic flooding in city’s Madison Valley neighborhood, choosing an alternative that will help protect homes and property while creating a park-like stormwater storage area.

Expected to take two years to three years to complete, the plan would divert storm flows from the northwest portion of Madison Valley to a 2 million gallon above- and below-ground storage facility, to be constructed just south of the Washington Park playfield in the Arboretum.

“This proposal will greatly reduce the decades-long risk of flooding in the Madison Valley,” said Nickels. “This alternative combines sound science with intensive neighborhood outreach to create a solution that is good for the residents and the city.”

As part of the research into Madison Valley flooding, which has persisted since the 1970s when regional infrastructure improvements were left unfinished, Seattle Public Utilities built a scale model of the 30th Ave. E. combined sewer line, in a warehouse in Vancouver, BC. The re-creation gave planners valuable information about water flows and helped inform the plan’s final design.

The mayor’s proposal, which is expected to cost between $24-33 million, now goes before the Seattle City Council for approval.

The option recommended by the mayor has strong community support, with 93 percent of received comments in favor. The mayor is recommending this proposal over a second option that would have required the city to purchase 17 homes in the 200 block of 30th Avenue East between East John Street and East Thomas Street.

Over the past four years, SPU has taken the following steps to resolve flooding issues in Madison Valley:

• Designed and built an interim stormwater detention facility to help alleviate flooding from large storms.



• Developed both physical and computer generated hydraulic system models of the Madison Valley drainage basin to determine how well the various alternatives for a long-term solution can perform to further address the sewer and stormwater problems caused by very large storms.



• Performed engineering and economic analyses that assess costs vs. benefits.



• Held numerous meetings with Madison Valley residents to solicit input and keep them informed about the project.



• Conducted an extensive study to determine the causes of the flooding that occurred on E. Madison Street and in the Mercer “bowl” area of Dewey Pl. and E. Mercer Street.

This careful, analytical work allowed SPU to narrow the range of alternatives down to the best option considering performance, life cycle cost, environmental impacts and social impacts.

Visit the mayor’s web site. Get the mayor’s inside view on initiatives to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter.

-30-

Seattle Public Utilities