Flood dike makes headway

For many years, there has been talk of building a “ring dike” around La Conner to protect the low-lying areas of the town from potential Skagit River flooding.

Now, the proposal to build an earthen dike across the northern edge of town from the channel on the west, and connecting to existing farmland dikes on the east, is something that is moving forward quickly.

Earlier this year, there was hope that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would kick in the first $100,000 to fund the dike studies, but that turned out to be something too costly for the town to accept.

The town would have been on the hook for another $200,000 for the Army Corps study and then around another $1.6 million for the town’s share of $4.6 million in construction costs. So in April, the town backed away from that offer.

The town’s own engineering estimates show that the town could build the dike on its own for just over $1 million.

Still, the Army Corps is conducting a hydrology study for the proposed dike, said La Conner Town Administrator John Doyle, which saves the town about $15,000. Depending on the outcome, that study could make a case for Drainage and Irrigation District 15 to obtain funding for a new flood gate that would be part of the proposed dike project.

On the north edge of town, the proposed dike would run along the drainage ditch that crosses La Conner Whitney Road and runs behind the La Conner Schools property. If the drainage district can come up with the money to replace and move its flood gate further to the east of the Swinomish Channel, the proposed dike could cross the ditch just east of the high school football field and avoid encroaching on school property.

Town Engineer Evan Henke of CHS Engineers has produced three dike proposals, the most economical of which includes a 7-foot earthen dike with an adjacent maintenance road along the edge of the drainage ditch. The top of the dike would be 6 feet wide.

Town Councilman Jacques Brunisholz, who has been championing the dike for years, has said he’s encouraged by the work progressing on the dike.

Although construction of the dike would protect the town from river flooding, town officials say it is not expected to save residents any money on their flood insurance premiums, which are set by the federal government and have been going up every year.