Groundbreaking program garners national recognition

On July 10, the national nonprofit U.S. Water Alliance gave Ecology its 2025 Outstanding Public Sector Organization award for our Floodplains by Design program.

We manage the Floodplains by Design program with Bonneville Environmental Foundation through a public-private partnership. We also oversee a large capital grant program that has provided funding to reduce flood risks in over 80 communities across the state while also protecting and improving floodplain ecosystems along 176 miles of rivers and streams.

“This national award recognizes that we’ve built something special here in Washington with our innovative partnerships for the Floodplains by Design program,” said Ecology Deputy Director Heather Bartlett. “We are working alongside cities and counties, Tribes, farmers, and conservationists to find local, practical solutions to restore floodplains and protect communities.Improving our floodplain management benefits local communities and local economies across our state.”

Washington’s river basins and associated floodplains deliver a wealth of economic, natural, and social benefits. They contain the state’s richest farmland, host treasured salmon runs, offer recreational opportunities and contain commercial, residential and industrial development worth billions of dollars.

Historically, flooding has been Washington’s most common and costly natural disaster. Since 1990, the state has suffered more than $1.3 billion in flood-related losses, with more than 360,000 homes currently at risk. In addition, increased temperatures driven by climate change are influencing the variables contributing to flooding: storm surges, sea level rise, sudden snow melt and atmospheric rivers.

Floodplains by Design projects help build resilience to a changing climate.

Launched in 2013, Floodplains by Design brings together local agencies, Tribes, nonprofit entities, and landowners in Washington’s river floodplains to identify challenges and plan locally driven solutions that reduce flood risks, restore critical salmon habitat, support agriculture, and strengthen local economies.

A typical Floodplains by Design project is large and complex, often containing several separate but connected components such as acquiring land, removing or relocating levees to give rivers more room to move, and restoring the habitat within and alongside the river channel.

Since 2013, the Washington Legislature has appropriated $359 million for Floodplains by Design, which includes revenue generated through the state’s Climate Commitment Act.

In the dozen years our competitive Floodplains by Design grant program has been in place, we have funded 73 projects in 19 Washington counties, resulting in multiple benefits including:

• Removing or reducing flood risk for 12,885 homes and structures in 88 communities
• Protecting 8,368 acres of flood-prone land from future development
• Improving ecological health by reconnecting 13,159 acres of floodplain and restoring and protecting habitat along 176 river miles
• Improving 23,789 acres of working lands