SEQUIM – Work has begun on the Rivers Edge Levee Setback Project near the mouth of the Dungeness River.
The project will restore the area to a more natural floodplain while replacing the current levee, built in 1964, with a new on that will offer much better flood protection for neighboring properties.
Residents and visitors to the north Towne Road area have probably noticed that access roads are being constructed. These are the start of the Jamestown Tribe’s construction of their part of the new levee.
Clallam County will construct a companion setback levee, which also includes relocating and upgrading Towne Road.
The Tribe expects to have their portion of the levee completed in September. When the entire levee is complete, the old levee will be breached and floodwaters will be able to spread safely across 56 acres on the Tribe’s land.
The County’s website contains extensive information on their project. Together, the two projects will set back 1.8 miles of river levee and permanently conserve 143 acres of historic Dungeness River floodplain for salmon, birds, and wildlife.
(Graphic provided by Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe)