The battle over BRIC funding also delayed a plan led by Pierce County, near Tacoma, to buy a flood-prone mobile home park and relocate residents out of the high-risk area. During the recent storms, floodwaters reached some structures in that park, according to Amanda Smith, a spokesperson for the county’s planning and public works department. The county is still assessing how much damage was done.
“The project remains a priority,” Smith said, but added that it likely won’t be complete by the end of 2027 as planned because of the BRIC funding issues.
The city of Orting, about 30 miles south of Seattle, also saw its BRIC funding canceled for the construction of a setback levee. The existing levee was just an inch or two away from being overtopped by floodwaters earlier this month, according to Orting’s mayor, Joshua Penner.
“Had it been just a couple percent worse, we would have seen catastrophic damage,” Penner said, adding that he expects the existing levee to fail soon.
“I don’t know when, but soon,” he said.
There is no date set for the new levee’s construction, and it still faces additional permitting, construction and design hurdles.
