Washington’s Enhanced State Hazard Mitigation Plan brings together disparate plans, responsible parties, and flood programs — like the state’s Flood Control Assistance Account Program and the Floodplains by Design program — into a comprehensive plan. Together, these programs fund flood planning and local implementation.
Highlights
- In 2021, after a 13-year gap, the state revived the Flood Control Assistance Account Program, which provides funds and guidance to local jurisdictions undertaking comprehensive flood planning. The program has $1.5 million for flood planning and $150,000 for carrying out emergency flood mitigation projects.
- Floodplains by Design — a public-private partnership between the Washington Department of Ecology, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and the Puget Sound Partnership — supports programs that integrate ecological preservation and habitat restoration into floodplain management.
What to watch
- In 2021, Washington passed the Healthy Environment for All Act, which defines environmental justice in state law and requires agencies to use a racial justice lens in all plans, programs, and enforcement that involve the environment. The law will likely affect future Enhanced State Hazard Mitigation Plan cycles. In the 2023 update to the State Hazard Mitigation Plan, planners will integrate social vulnerability data and a more data-driven risk assessment by the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group.
