Green River Reaches Phase II Flood Alert

The King County Flood Warning Center issued a Phase II flood alert for the Green River, where controlled water releases from a dam could result in very minor flooding along portions of the river without levees upstream of Auburn. The Flood Warning Center opened at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29, to closely monitor conditions.

Flows on the Green River at Auburn were expected to reach or exceed 7,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) Thursday evening, as a result of planned releases from Howard Hanson Dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ flood-control dam in the upper Green River watershed.

Releasing water from the dam now provides the Corps with additional flood-storage capacity for anticipated heavy rainfall in the coming days.

A Phase II flood alert level is the level of the County's four-phase warning system at which the Flood Warning Center activates to monitor conditions.

Early on Dec. 29, the Flood Warning Center closed following a one-day, round-the-clock activation to monitor rising flows on the Snoqualmie River, which rose to a Phase II flood alert level as a result of heavy rainfall in the area.

King County staff will continue to monitor stream gages and weather reports, and will provide updated information on river conditions as necessary. Real-time river level information is available online at http://www.kingcounty.gov/flood.

Updated information on flooding will also be posted on the King County website at www.kingcounty.gov, or via RPIN, the area's regional website at http://www.rpin.org. A recorded flood-information hotline is also updated each hour for citizens wanting information in flood areas. The number is 206-296-8200 or 1-800-945-9263.

*Editor's Note: Information for this report was provided by The Regional Public Information Network.