Army Corps of Engineers sends flood spotters to Green River near Auburn

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, deployed spotters Wednesday to the Green and White rivers and a team to make emergency repairs to the Union Slough Levee located on the Snohomish River in Everett.

The Corps' emergency operations center and reservoir control center also began 24-hour operations Wednesday, according to a Corps media release.

Due to changes in the National Weather Service's forecast, the Corps began increasing outflows at Mud Mountain Dam from 5,000 to 6,000 cubic feet per second at 8 a.m. Wednesday that impacts the White River.

Outflow from Howard Hanson Dam is 8,000 cfs, keeping the Green River flow at Auburn near 10,000 cfs. At 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, the flow at Auburn was at 8,180 cfs.

To better understand how these increased flow rates might affect residents in areas where channel capacity may have changed, the Corps deployed spotters to the White River Basin and along the Green River as an additional precautionary measure.

These spotters monitor river conditions and levee-system integrity and provide information to the Seattle District's reservoir control and emergency operations centers.

In the interest of public safety, seven Snohomish flood team members deployed with materials and equipment to perform emergency repairs on the Union Slough Levee.

Flood fight teams and reservoir managers at the Corps' Seattle District remain on alert and poised to continue responding as necessary to areas affected by flooding.

Contact Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter Steve Hunter at shunter@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600, ext. 5052.

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