The city of Bellevue can begin solving long-standing Coal Creek flooding issues in Newport Shores a year earlier than planned, thanks in part to funding from the King County Flood Control District.

Over the last two decades, Bellevue has received and responded to dozens of flooding issues in the neighborhood after rain storms, such as storm drain back-ups, culvert blockages, and Coal Creek overflows.

At Bellevue’s request, the Flood District is providing approximately $200,000 to help the City accelerate a study of flood causes in the neighborhood, an analysis of possible solutions, and a recommendation of how best to address the flooding issues. Improvements could range from actions such as increasing channel or culvert capacity, to retrofitting a detention pond, to constructing a bypass.

A total of $8.3 million has been appropriated by the Flood District for use when the project is ready to proceed.

“It was important to move on getting this project underway,” said Reagan Dunn, Chair of of the King County Flood Control District Board of Supervisors.  “The flooding history in this part of Bellevue needed a solution and I am pleased the Flood Control District could step in and provide that fix.”

Bellevue is scheduled to choose a final project design and acquire needed permits for the project in 2014, with construction work on the project to begin in 2015.

“We appreciate the funding coming at this time from the Flood Control District,” said Don Davidson, Bellevue Councilmember and member of the King County Flood Control District Advisory Committee. “It means that residents and property owners in Newport Shores will see this important project begin a year earlier than expected.”

The Flood District was created in 2007 to provide funding and oversight for flood protection projects and programs across King County, including an Opportunity Fund for projects to reduce flood risk in each of King County’s 40 jurisdictions.