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RESOLUTION NO. 4 5 9 0
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF AUBURN, WASHINGTON, REQUESTING
THAT THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS
APPROPRIATE SUFFICIENT FUNDS TO PROVIDE
FOR INTERIM AND PERMANENT REPAIRS TO
THE HOWARD HANSON DAM, AND REQUESTING
THAT THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS BE
DIRECTED TO MAKE THE HOWARD HANSON
DAM PERMANENT REPAIRS A PRIORITY
PROJECT
WHEREAS, the federally owned Howard Hanson Dam has provided flood
protection for residents and businesses of the Green River Valley, in King
County, Washington, since 1961; and
WHEREAS, the Howard Hanson Dam has served to prevent flooding in
the Green River Valley that could have caused damages amounting to hundreds
of millions of dollars during the period of time that the Dam has been in place;
and
WHEREAS, the Green River Valley contains the second largest
warehouse and production distribution center on the west coast of the United
States; and
WHEREAS, the Green River Valley industrial center represents over 37
billion dollars in gross business income, 4,500 businesses, and over 100,000
jobs that are dependent upon the flood protection of the Howard Hanson Dam;
and
WHEREAS, the population of the Green River Valley watershed is
estimated to be approximately 350,000 residents, including many low-income
families; and
Resolution No. 4590
April 6, 2010
Page 1 of 4
WHEREAS, in January, 2009, following a record high level storage of
flood water behind the Dam, the Army Corps of Engineers discovered damage to
the right abutment of the Howard Hanson Dam which led to the Army Corps of
Engineers restriction on the operating capacity of the Dam thereby increasing the
risk of flood to the Green River Valley; and
WHEREAS, in the event of a flood, residents and businesses of the Green
River Valley could be displaced for weeks, months or permanently; and
WHEREAS, flood damage would cost individual citizens and businesses
who may not have insurance or may not have adequate insurance, thousands
and thousands of dollars for repair and relocation, severely impacting and
damaging the economic climate for the entire State of Washington; and
WHEREAS, the potential threat of flooding has caused some businesses
to relocate from the Green River Valley, adversely impacting economic
development in this area; and
WHEREAS, since damage to the Dam structure was found, federal, state
and local governments have worked hard to provide interim measures of flood
protection until a permanent fix to the Dam could be completed; and
WHEREAS, permanent repairs to the Howard Hanson Dam have been
estimated to take as long as six years; and
WHEREAS, the United States Army Corps of Engineers has identified an
interim solution that would extend the grout curtain over a deeper and wider area
of the right abutment to the Howard Hanson Dam that would allow for storage of
Resolution No. 4590
April 6, 2010
Page 2 of 4
water at higher levels and thus provide the flood protection intended by the Dam;
and
WHEREAS, this interim solution, while not a permanent solution, would
reduce the flood risk threats to a level more comparable to that which existed
prior to the discovery of damage to the Dam; and
WHEREAS, the estimated costs for the interim solution is 44 million
dollars, compared to the billions and billions of dollars that the Federal
Emergency Management Agency estimates could result from just a single flood
from the damaged Howard Hanson Dam.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AUBURN,
HEREBY RESOLVES as follows:
Section 1. That the City Council of the City of Auburn Washington,
requests that the federal government and the United States Congress provide for
immediate appropriation of 44 million dollars for interim grout work and related
repairs to the Howard Hanson Dam so that this work can be completed before
the next flood season.
Section 2. That the Auburn City Council further requests that the United
States Congress appropriate sufficient funds to provide for a permanent repair of
the Howard Hanson Dam and direct that the Army Corps of Engineers make the
Howard Hanson Dam permanent repair a priority project and that the Army Corps
of Engineers expedite its standard processes to assure the fastest and safest
approach to complete these repairs.
Resolution No. 4590
April 6, 2010
Page 3 of 4
Section 3. That the Auburn City Council further wishes to express its
appreciation and gratitude to Senator Patty Murray and to the other members of
the Washington State Congressional Delegation who have worked so hard to
have the Howard Hanson Dam damage addressed responsibly and promptly.
Section 4. That the City Clerk is directed to transmit to the Honorable
Barak Obama, President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House
of Representatives and each member of the Washington State Congressional
Delegation, and the Secretary of Defense, a copy of this resolution.
Section 5. That the Mayor is authorized to implement such
administrative procedures as may be necessary to carry out the directives of this
legislation.
Section 6. That this Resolution shall take effect and be in full force
upon passage and signatures hereon.
Dated and Signed this /1-0 day of ~ ~ 12010.
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7ER BUR
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EWI S
MAYOR
ATTEST:
La"
Da ielle E. Daskam, City Clerk
APPR D AS TO FORM:
Y, LV
D e B. \ , Cit Attorne
Resolution No 4590
April6, 2010
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