Howard Hanson... Damn!

For the past nine months the media has been talking a lot about the Howard Hanson Dam.  There's really only one reason you care about a dam... because you live downstream from it and it isn't being all that it can be.  This dam was built in the early 1960's and since then it has mostly prevented the Green River from flooding.  No flooding translated into lots of new development for the cities of Auburn, Kent, and Tukwila.  My condo sits only a few hundred feet from the levee that has kept the Green River at bay for each of the nine years I've lived here.

Last year's record rainfall event (15 inches in 12 hours) pushed the reservoir behind the dam to an extreme that apparently weakened the earthen abutment which ties into the actual concrete structure.  Dye testing revealed that the dam was leaking prompting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to place restrictions on the amount of water the dam would be allowed to hold back.  In the fall, they pumped massive amounts of grout into the abutment to stabilize it but initially set the odds of flooding in the valley at 1-in-3.  The repair work and forecasts of an El Niño prompted them to slightly lower the odds to 1-in-4.  Those odds scared the cities along the river into taking action, installing miles of "super sack" sandbags along the winding river; effectively closing the Green River Trail indefinitely.  After that work was nearly finished the Corps concluded that their "grout curtain" solution was effective enough to lower the odds of a flood to 1-in-25, where it stands today.

Here is a sampling of the Seattle Times coverage of this story.  Only Mother Nature knows if there will be more for them to report...

• South King County at high risk for flooding
• Continuing flood risk from Green River dam
• 'Very fast' seepage found at dam upriver from Kent, Renton, Auburn, Tukwila 
• Water seeping through Howard Hanson Dam is picking up speed
• Green River Valley plans ahead for possible flooding
• Repairs begin on Howard Hanson Dam to protect Green River Valley
• Flood threat may cost King County millions
• King County declares flood-threat state of emergency
• Green River needs higher levees — quickly 
• Flood insurance dries up for Kent Valley companies
• Downstream from dam, valley residents and businesses prepare for worst 
• Army: Slightly less chance of Green River flood
• Concern rising as flood season nears in Green River Valley
• Corps maps show Green River flooding scenarios
• Flood worries rise for Green River's rural neighbors
• Rush to finish barrier at Howard Hanson Dam before heavy rains
• Corps lowers Green River flooding odds to 1-in-25
• Green River Valley: Anxiety ebbs over flooding potential
• How much rain will cause Green River to flood?

I live in a second floor condo so I'm not concerned about property loss.  Most of what I have in the garage is on a loft that is six feet above ground.  I didn't buy flood insurance (but my HOA did and that covers the building).  My main concern is that I may be without a place to live for a few days—maybe even weeks—this winter.  Hopefully it turns out to be a big non-event.  Either way, you can monitor both the Howard Hanson Dam and the Green River online while you keep your fingers crossed for me :)