Why floodplains matter

Floodplains by Design (FbD) is an ambitious public-private partnership that includes:

• A multi-million dollar capital grant program led by the Department of Ecology,
• Dozens of local agencies, tribes, NGOs, and landowners who build partnerships to plan and implement projects and are continually working to improve floodplain resilience,
• And an NGO “backbone” team led by Bonneville Environmental Foundation with support from American Rivers and others, that seeks to sustain and grow integrated floodplain management policy and practice in Washington State.

Together, partners seek to reduce flood damage, improve working lands, and restore habitat along Washington’s streams and rivers. Integrated floodplain management requires collaboration across interests and engagement over the long term.

Since 2013, the Washington State Legislature has appropriated $216 million to support large-scale, multiple-benefit projects across the state through the Department of Ecology’s Floodplains by Design grant program. These projects have leveraged tens of millions of additional local, federal, and private dollars to move everyone closer to their goals.

Integrated floodplain management builds upon a foundation of relationships and knowledge nurtured by tribal members and cultures for thousands of years. Tribal members and staff continue to play a key role in shaping, guiding and transforming our floodplain systems in response to significant harm created through colonization over the last 200 years.

As the pace and magnitude of extreme weather events increases and development pressures grow, the opportunity that integrated floodplains management presents only becomes clearer and more compelling.