Sumner Receives $15 Million For White River Restoration: Report

SUMNER, WA — The City of Sumner has received $15 million from the legislature to round out it's $102 million proposal to restore the White River, according to a recent report from the Tacoma News Tribune.

As the report explains, the White River was rerouted by farmers for irrigation, but that rerouting had some unintentional downsides, most recently a 2015 flood that damaged several local industrial facilities.

To combat the problem the city identified four major White River restoration projects, the largest of which is the $102 million proposal to restore 170 acres owned by the city. The construction will create side channels and new wetlands which the city hopes would be able to absorb excess water and prevent floodwaters from spilling into the industrial sector again.

The other projects include a higher replacement bridge over the water, a setback levee to hold additional floodwaters, and a point bar restoring 25 acres of floodplains.

All combined, the four projects will cost roughly $178 million. That sounds hefty, but Sumner says flooding threatens property worth up to $1.14 billion, so there's a substantial return on investment. On top of the legislatures recent $15 million investment, funding is also coming from the city, Pierce Co Flood Control Zone District, and BNSF, among others.

>> Read the full report from the News Tribune.