On Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, SeaTac Deputy Mayor Peter Kwon will receive a $320,000 grant check from King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, who is also the Chair of the King County Flood Control District. The grant will fund a storm drainage project in the urban core of our city of more than 29,000 residents.

During the last two years, the City has received a total of $570,000 in grants from the King County Flood Control District to help design and build this project. The $320,000 grant pays for construction of the flood control project, while the $250,000 in grants the City received in 2019 from the King County Flood Control District paid for project design. The City has budgeted $1.3 million dollars for the project.

The King County Flood Control District and the City of SeaTac teamed up for the past two years to fund design of a flood reduction facility and study alternatives that would halt flooding at the end of South 180th Street.

“These grants will directly alleviate as much as two feet of standing water that residents have been dealing with for years,” Deputy Mayor Kwon said. “Residents need to freely travel this corridor to get to work and home, and the severe rain storms and flooding events prevents this free travel.”

“By collaborating with cities and other community organizations, we are increasing the safety of neighborhoods by decreasing the likelihood of flooding,” said Dave Upthegrove, King County Flood Control District Board chair. “This partnership will directly address an area susceptible to flooding and vastly improve the lives of the residents living near this running creek.”

Now in its seventh year, the Flood Reduction Grant program provides funding for municipalities, tribes, school districts, and homeowner associations to address flooding risks not caused by the major rivers of King County. This award is part of $3.35 million in grants approved by the Flood Control District for 2020.

“This project exists within an area of major importance to the City of SeaTac,” said Public Works Director William Appleton. “South 180th Street is marked for major pedestrian improvements within the next several years. By fixing this drainage issue, the City hopes to remove a long-standing barrier in the way of revitalizing what is essentially downtown SeaTac.”

Public Works Engineer Trevor Ralph is overseeing the project, with construction beginning at the end of 2021 and project completion scheduled for the summer of 2022.