Washington: North Shore Levee

Critical infrastructure and flood protection for a city reliant on its industry and tourism.

Aberdeen, Washington: $50 Million

The city of Aberdeen is the economic hub and gateway to the Olympic Peninsula, making itself a junction point for people traveling from the Seattle Metropolitan area to the national park and its surrounding areas. The township also serves as a center for timber and fishing, making the city’s economy rely heavy on the surrounding geography.

Its geography also puts it at major flood risk; it borders the coast, Puget Sound, and multiple inlets connecting the city to those bodies of water. The city is a historically white community with 22% of the population falling below the poverty line as of the 2000 U.S. Census.

The North Shore Levee project is a proposed flood damage risk reduction and containment system for the industrious cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam, Washington. The cities are subject to floods from coastal storm surges along Grays Harbor, riverine flooding from the Hoquiam and Wishkah rivers, and additional interior drainage flooding during high-water events. The proposed project includes two floodwall and levee systems. The project will provide long-term flood risk reduction and climate change resiliency benefits to these communities. The city of Aberdeen is a member of the Chehalis Basin Flood Authority. The Flood Authority works directly with the State of Washington’s Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB), which is funding the design of this project. In addition to OCB, the city of Aberdeen is also partnering with the city of Hoquiam on this project.