MOUNT VERNON, Wash. – Skagit County’s levee and dike experts says the county’s levee system is in desperate need of repair and could fail even in mild flooding conditions this winter. And, the county says government red tape is holding up repairs.
Daryl Hamburg, director of operations for Mount Vernon’s Dike District 17, says there are several points along the levees that are in trouble.
The county points to sink or scour holes that cause weak spots in the levees and areas where the riprap – broken stones used as a foundation for the levee – has been eroded by river currents.
The levees stretch along miles of riverbank from east of Burlington to the mouth of the Skagit River. More than five miles of those levees are said to be damaged.
“We are preparing for a possible levee failure at 30 or 32 feet,” Hamburg has told the Skagit Valley Herald. “Before, we had the confidence that the levee would hold at 32 feet. We don’t have that confidence anymore.”
If the levees fail, residences, businesses, schools and utility plants could be at risk.
Hamburg and the county say the county has wanted to repair the levee system since 2007 but must get permits from the Army Corps of Engineers. They say the Corps is dragging its feet.
Hamburg says the Corps is dealing with environmental mitigation issues and the permitting process has stalled.
