Flood Control District approves $1.275 million for salmon habitat restoration in Kent

The King County Flood Control District Board on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 approved $1.275 million for the City of Kent to restore local floodplains, improve salmon habitat and reduce flood risk along the Green River.

The City of Kent will use the funding to continue design work on habitat enhancements and recreational improvements at Boeing Rock; to remove invasive plants at Three Friends Fishing Hole Park that threaten the establishment of healthy canopy trees; and to continue work on off-channel habitat at the Lower Russell Road Levee Setback which will provide near-term rearing and refuge habitat for juvenile salmon, assist in flood storage and reduce flood risk, and enhance wildlife functionality of wetlands through native plantings and woody debris placement.

“The City of Kent has been a great partner with the King County Flood Control District and WRIA 9 as we work together to protect and improve our environment and quality of life along the Green River,” said King County Councilmember and Flood Board Supervisor Dave Upthegrove. “The projects funded by these grants will improve conditions for our iconic chinook salmon in the Green River while also creating recreational opportunities for local residents along this south king county waterway.”

These grants from the King County Flood Control District come from the Cooperative Watershed Management grant program, which provides funding for salmon recovery and habitat restoration projects submitted by local watershed planning groups, known as Watershed Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs.)  The Flood Control District allocated $11.3 million for these grants of which $4.2 million will fund projects in the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9.)