March 6, 2014

Army Corps receives $400,000 to complete Skagit flood protection study

SKAGIT COUNTY – Skagit County officials were notified on March 5 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received $400,000 to complete the Skagit River General Investigation (GI). Skagit County is the local sponsor of this flood risk reduction study.

The GI is currently in the feasibility stage, where there is a 50/50 cost share agreement between the Corps and Skagit County. The feasibility phase began in 1997. Due to the complexity of this and other ongoing studies, the Corps initiated a significant effort in 2011 aimed toward improving the performance and execution of their feasibility study delivery.

The Corps examined their nationwide portfolio of 653 feasibility studies; 288 of those were determined inactive. Of the 365 remaining active feasibility studies, 68 had been ongoing for more than 10 years. Only nine of those ongoing studies, including the Skagit River GI, were deemed eligible to be re-scoped.

Under the re-scoping process, the Skagit River GI was the first feasibility study in the country to go through a national planning charrette. This planning exercise was developed under the Corps’ new planning paradigm, referred to as the 3x3x3 rule. Under this concept, all feasibility studies should be completed within three years, for less than $3 million, and involve all three levels of the Corps.

The funding that was recently announced by our federal delegation will allow the federal government to fund their portion of the study through completion under the 3x3x3 rule.

Announcement of the most recent round of Corps funding was made Wednesday, March 5 by U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen and U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene.
“This is very good news,” said Skagit County Interim Public Works Director Dan Berentson. “We’re committed to completing the study on time and under budget. We appreciate the efforts of our federal delegation, who continue to make the case for federal funding.”
Skagit County, along with local city and dike district partners, will continue to provide a funding match until the study is completed in spring of 2015, noted Berentson.
For his part, Rep. Larsen said in a press release: “Communities in Skagit County have stayed focused on getting the G.I. study finished. This ongoing commitment from the Army Corps is great news and sends a clear message that the federal government is going to keep its agreement in Skagit County.”

DelBene stated in a press release: “Today’s announcement is a testament to the great cooperation between the local jurisdictions and stakeholders who have done a tremendous amount of work to find a solution that benefits the entire valley. Completing the Skagit GI is going to get us one step closer to protecting Skagit County’s residents, businesses and economy from potentially devastating floods.”

Contact: Dan Berentson
Interim Director, Public Works
(360) 419-3461