Managing a Complex Setback Levee Project Habitat Creation Through Restoring Floodplain Processes for

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Managing a Complex Setback Levee
ProjectHabitat Creation Through Restoring
Floodplain Processesfor Multiple Benefits

• Dan D. Wrye
• Program Services Manager
• Public Works and Utilities, Water Programs
• April 2007

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Water Programs DivisionPublic Works and Utilities

• Surface water management utility
• Levee system
• Capital projects
• Municipal NPDES stormwater
• Basin plans
• Lands management
• Nonpoint source pollution, watershed councils
• Salmon recovery lead entity

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Soldiers Home Setback Levee

• Sponsor
• Pierce County Public Works and Utilities, Water
  Programs Division
• Pierce County Lead Entity (WRIAs 10/12)
• Partners
• Hylebos Partners, Puyallup Tribe, US ACOE

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Project Description

• Construct new levee, setback
• 5,150 feet long
• 10 feet average height
• 15 feet wide at top
• 3 feet thick armor facing
• 10 feet wide X 3 feet toe depth
• Remove existing levee
• Open up 67 acres of riparian floodplain corridor

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County-line
Tacoma
White/Puy Confluence
Fennel Creek
Soldiers Home
Ford
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Soldiers Home Setback Levee Project Location
Puyallup River Mile 21.5 22.4 Town of Orting
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Objectives

• Flood damage reduction, fish benefit
• Allow for more natural riverine and floodplain
  functions
• Floodplain reconnection
• Reestablish key habitat
• Off-channel rearing
• Spawning

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• 27 structural, non-structural
• 18 criteria evaluated
• Setbacks 2nd highest score
• Soldiers Home site hotspot

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• Reduce scouring
• Stable spawning habitat
• Over-wintering habitat
• Forage and browse for wildlife
• Increase channel capacity

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• Soldiers Home Setback Levee
• Puyallup River fall chinook (priority stock)
• Disconnected floodplain (watershed processes
  impacted)
• Lower and middle Puyallup River (high priority
  areas)
• Levee setbacks (priority actions)

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Orting
Soldiers Home Setback Levee
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Alignment of Soldiers Home Levee
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Costs

• Property acquisition 1,600,000
• Design, permitting 565,000
• Construction 4,108,000
• Total Cost 6,273,000
• Not included US ACOE in-kind contribution to
  design and permitting

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Soldiers Home Levee Funding Challenges

• Corps of Engineers
• Design, Construct
• February 2004
• No money for construction
• No money to finish design
• Spring 2004
• Water Programs hires Tetra Tech/KCM
• Design 85 vs. 15
• 3.7 million funding gap

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Rescued from the Drawing Board

• Natural resource damage trustees
• Potentially responsible parties
• Credit for cleanup obligations
• 2 agreements
• 2.3m in escrow pending Trustees approval and
  permitting
• Money released at construction, with interest!
• Worked well!

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Funding

• SRFB 990,000
• Pierce County 565,000
• Port of Tacoma 800,000
• Pierce County 800,000
• Hylebos Partners 2,300,000
• US ACOE In-kind

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Challenges -- Permits

• Corps of Engineers
• NEPA EA 8/04
• FONSI 3/05
• Biological Assessments 8/04 and 10/04
• Amended 4/06 (bull trout critical habitat)
• JARPA 6/05
• 404 Issued 7/18/06
• Bids opened June 16th!
• Water Programs offered to fund COE permit writer
• Work window July 15 thru August 31
• HPA work window July 15 thru September 15

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Challenges -- Permits

• Shorelines and Land Use City of Orting
• Recreation, evacuation, roadway preferences
• Impact on shoreline jurisdiction
• Hydraulics Permit WDFW
• Very supportive
• Follow-up concerns

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Challenges -- Construction

• Advertised May 31, 2006
• Bids opened June 16, 2006
• 404 received July 18!
• Two bids submitted
• KLB Construction low bidder
• Extent of clearing challenge
• Construction July thru October 2006

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BeforeUpstream End
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BeforeUpper Middle
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BeforeLower Middle
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BeforeDownstream End
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During Construction Upper
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During Construction Lower Middle. Note X-mas
Trees.
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Upper End, Election Day Flood, 11/06
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From the AirLooking Downstream 11/06
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Note X-mas Trees
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Upper End, November 2006
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Upper End, April 2007
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Project Team

• Pierce County
• Randy Brake, David Renstrom, Dan Wrye, Hans
  Hunger, Harold Smelt, Tony Fantello, Tim Ramsaur,
  Debby Hyde
• Tetra Tech
• Larry Gibbons, Tony Melone, John Herrmann,
  Deborah Scheibner
• US ACOE
• Laura Orr, Lester Soule, Cathy Desgarden, Beth
  Coffey, Michelle Walker, Ron Wilcox, Matt
  Bennett, Phillip Hoffman
• Key Players
• Russ Ladley, Puyallup Tribe
• Travis Nelson, WDFW
• Clark Davis, James Handmacher, Hylebos Partners
• Brian Abbott, Leslie Ryan-Connelly, IAC
• USFWS, NOAA Fisheries, NOAA Restoration Center

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Lessons Learned

• Multiple benefits made it happen
• Multiple partners
• Persistency
• Manage expectations
• Dont expect reviewers get all they need from
  designs
• Adaptive management
• Cant sit on laurels

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County-line
Tacoma
Habitat Creation Through Restoring Floodplain
Processesfor Multiple Benefits
White/Puy Confluence
Fennel Creek
Soldiers Home
Dan D. Wrye, Program Services Manager Water
Programs Division [phone]
dwrye_at_co.pierce.wa.us
Ford
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Ford Setback Levee the 1st
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Orting
Soldiers Home Setback Levee
Ford Setback Levee
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Ford Setback Levee Construction (1997)
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Ford Levee Removal Operation (1997)
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Ford Levee 1998
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Ford levee 2005
Ford Levee 2005
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Puyallup River Ford Setback Levee Looking
Downstream from the South - RM 24.8
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1998 detail
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2005 detail
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Ford Setback Levee During Election Day Flood of
Nov 2006
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County-line
Tacoma
White/Puy Confluence
Fennel Creek
Soldiers Home
Ford
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Confluence Puyallup, White
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Confluence Puyallup, White
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County Line
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County Line, Whiteacross from Pacific
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County-line, White RiverLooking Downstream,
Upper End
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County-line
Tacoma
Habitat Creation Through Restoring Floodplain
Processesfor Multiple Benefits
White/Puy Confluence
Fennel Creek
Soldiers Home
Dan D. Wrye, Program Services Manager Water
Programs Division [phone]
dwrye_at_co.pierce.wa.us
Ford