2026 Steve Bleifuhs Memorial Flood Reduction Grant Program Awards Over $14.3 Million to Local Flood Risk Reduction Projects, Including Over $2 Million to District 8

September 9, 2026

The Flood Reduction Grant Program was created in 2014 to provide a flood reduction benefit focusing on geographic equity, funding smaller flood reduction projects that generally would not be part of the Flood Control District’s capital program. The program was expanded in 2020, adding three application categories. Today, the Flood Reduction Grant Program is comprised of four different categories: (1) original flood reduction grants; (2) urban flooding and small stream erosion; (3) coastal erosion and sea level rise; and (4) culvert replacement and fish passage. This year, the application process included a new scoring criterion – 10 additional points for projects responding to new or exacerbated issues related to the 2025/2026 flood season.

The Flood Control District received 46 grant requests for the 2026 Flood Reduction Grant Program, totaling $33,213,081. The 2026 budget authorized $14,307,228. Therefore, the amount of grant requests exceeded the amount of funds available for the 2026 Flood Reduction Grant Program by over $18.9 million. There was at least one grant application from every King County Council District, including applications submitted by 19 cities, 1 county, 15 non-profits, 7 homeowners associations, 2 special purpose districts, and 2 land trusts. Of the 46 applications, 27 were in the original category; 12 were submitted in the urban flooding and small stream erosion category; 2 were for the coastal erosion and seal level rise category; and 5 were in the culvert replacement and fish passage category.

“The Flood Reduction Grant Program funds important environmental justice projects in the Duwamish River Valley along with other needed resiliency projects throughout District 8,” said Teresa Mosqueda, District 8 Supervisor for the King County Flood Control District. “Five projects in District 8 received funding in the 2026 grant cycle, including the $400,000 awarded for the Duwamish Valley Industrial Greening Project implemented by ECOSS and $480,000 granted to the Vashon Maury Island Land Trust for the North Maury Bulkhead Removal Project.”

The 2026 Flood Reduction Grant Program awarded $2,030,000 in funding to the following projects located in District 8.

• Cultivate received $250,000 for the Nature-based Urban Designs Project
• ECOSS received $400,000 for the Duwamish Valley Industrial Greening: ECOSS – Phase 3
• King County Water & Land Resources Division received $500,000 for the White Center Ponds Cells 2 and 3 Stormwater Retrofit
• Seattle Parks Foundation received $400,000 for the Duwamish Valley and Thornton Creek Industrial Greening
• Vashon Maury Island Land Trust received $480,000 for the North Maury Bulkhead Removal

In October 2024, the Flood Control District’s Board of Supervisors renamed the program after Steve Bleifuhs, a long-time King County floodplain management leader. Bleifuhs, who passed away in July 2024, was instrumental in shaping flood hazard management in the county, including the development of the 2006 King County Flood Hazard Management Plan.

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About the King County Flood Control District:

The King County Flood Control District (Flood Control District) is a countywide special purpose district created in 2007 to provide flood risk reduction capital projects and programs to the residents of King County. The Flood Control District is building a future to withstand flood risks where thriving King County communities and healthy ecosystems coexist in harmony with area rivers. This vision is accomplished by implementing flood risk reduction policies and projects to protect life and property while advancing various benefits including equity and social justice, sustainable livelihoods, habitat protection, salmon recovery, recreation, and resilient communities.