Flood Control District awards $2.5 million for flood reduction projects in District 3

September 9, 2025

The King County Flood Control District on Tuesday approved more than $2.5 million in flood reduction grant funding for King County Council District 3.

Grant funding will go to a variety of projects in District 3, including in Carnation, Duvall, Sammamish, Issaquah and more.

“Nearly one-third of the projects funded by these flood reduction grants are in District 3,” said Sarah Perry, Vice Chair of the King County Flood Control District and King County Councilmember for District 3. “I think that speaks to the vast need and opportunity in our beautiful district for flood reduction projects to ensure the health and safety of our communities, preserve the vital road and bridge infrastructure that our unincorporated residents rely on, and protect our local salmon habitats.”

Funding for these projects comes from the Steve Bleifuhs Memorial Flood Reduction Grant Program, which this year awarded more than $14.8 million to 35 projects across King County.

A total of 11 projects in District 3 received funding:

• Carnation Farms – Flood Risk Reduction on the Snoqualmie River
• City of Duvall – NE Miller Street Conveyance Improvements
• King Conservation District – KCD Agricultural Drainage Project, Phase 12
• Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance – Beaverwise: A Balanced Approach to Flood Reduction, Farm Viability & Ecological Health
• Snoqualmie Valley Watershed Improvement District – SVWID Basin 1 Agricultural Drainage Pump Replacement
• Stewardship Partners – Depot Park GSI Improvements
• King County WLRD – Tuck Creek Mouth Fish Passage Restoration
• City of Sammamish – George Davis Creek Fish Passage & Storm Improvement
• Adopt a Stream Foundation – Friendly Village Bridge Replacement – Phase II Flood Mitigation Implementation
• City of Issaquah – Sycamore Emergency Access Stabilization and Culvert Replacement
• Trout Unlimited – Tibbetts Creek Anthology Open Space and Maple Street Flood Reduction & Restoration

In October 2024, the Flood Control District’s Board of Supervisors renamed the program in honor of Steve Bleifuhs, a long-time King County floodplain management leader. Bleifuhs, who passed away in July 2024, was instrumental in shaping flood hazard management in the county, including the development of the 2006 King County Flood Hazard Management Plan.

The program is funded by the King County Flood Control District, a countywide special purpose district intended to provide funding and policy oversight for flood risk reduction capital projects and programs in King County. The Flood Control District’s Board of Supervisors is its primary governing body and is composed of the members of the Metropolitan King County Council.

In 2020, the Board of Supervisors took steps to reaffirm the District’s commitment to a countywide multi-benefit approach to flood risk reduction and created three new grant programs in addition to the original Flood Reduction Grant program. The three new programs address the countywide flood issues associated with urban streams, coastal erosion/coastal flooding, and culvert replacement/fish passage restoration. The original grant program remains, and now, a total of four grant areas of interest are available under the Flood Reduction Grant Programs umbrella.