Washington City receives $1.2 million FEMA grant for flood control

Virgin River running high
The Virgin River running high from spring runoff by the Sullivan Soccer Park in Washington City, Utah, March 23, 2019 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — As a preventative measure against potential future flood events along the Virgin River, Washington City has been taking steps to shore up erosion protection. Helping cover the bulk of the project cost is a $1.2 million grant awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier this week.

The overall project, which covers a stretch of the Virgin River near the Mall Drive bridge and northward just beyond the Pineview Estates area of Washington City, is $1.6 million. FEMA is covering 75% of the costs with the city picking up the rest.

“The project includes the placement of approximately 2,800 feet of erosion protection, in the form of rock, brush and cottonwood plantings, along the Virgin River,” a FEMA press releases stated Monday. “This project will help make Washington City more resilient to flood and erosion damage from future events in the Virgin River by reducing the risk for 22 private homes, a city park, and other existing public road and utility infrastructure.”

The federal funding is also a part of a new pre-disaster hazard mitigation program called Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, which “support states, local communities, tribes and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards,” according to the FEMA website.

The grant was applied for in 2018, said Lester Dalton, assistant public work director for Washington City.

It is anticipated work on the new flood control project will begin soon and last around 90 say, Dalton said, though added the overall process, including applying for federal assistance, can take between three to five years to complete.

Prior to the Pineview Estates area project, Washington City engaged in flood mitigation work in 2016 in areas by the Mill Creek business park and upstream of Sunrise Valley.

The last major flooding event in Washington City involving the Virgin River occurred in December 2010, Dalton said.

It took over two years for the city to receive federal funding to aid in erosion control and sediment removal along the Virgin River following the 2010 flooding.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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