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AN ORDINANCE relating to protecting lives and property by controlling flooding in King County; ordering the formation of a countywide flood control zone district and dissolving existing flood control zone districts within the county as required by state law; creating a new King County flood control zone district advisory committee; adding a new chapter to K.C.C. Title 2 and repealing Resolutions 30560, 30950, 30633, 34107, 31192, 30849, 25183, 28339, 32463 and 28067 and Ordinance 12075, Section 7, and K.C.C. 2.36.010.
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. Every year, King County faces significant threats from flooding, the impacts of which are far-reaching and pose significant threats to public health and safety and economic activities throughout the county.
B. Starting in late 2005, King County experienced one of the longest consecutive periods of rainy days on record. The extended rainfall caused significant flooding and revealed numerous deficiencies in the county's aging flood protection system. In November 2006, record rainfall caused more flooding throughout King County, resulting in millions of dollars in property damage, including additional damage to King County's flood protection facilities. Another storm in mid-December 2006 brought even more flooding to the region, causing millions more in property damage and the loss of life. Flooding from that storm also forced the closure of Interstate 5 at Mercer Street, covered multiple lanes of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405 at many locations and shut down dozens of streets throughout the region. Following the 2006 flooding, King County was declared a federal flood disaster area for the eighth time since 1990. In February, 2007 the US Army Corps of Engineers identified nineteen levees in Washington State, all of which are in King County, as being at risk of failure - the second highest number of any state in the country.
C. Accor...
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