December 2025 Mitigation: Cedar River Levee Repaired in Partnership with United States Army Corps of Engineers


Last month, our Public Works Department and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began repairs along the Cedar River Left Bank Levee between the Renton Municipal Airport and Renton Memorial Stadium.

Repairs were required due to damage from last December’s historic flood. While the wall prevented flooding at the airport and downtown, the constant pressure and sheer volume of water eroded the riverbank at the wall’s base.


RENTON'S COST FOR REPAIRS: ZERO

Since the levee is federally sponsored and last year's event was large enough to activate the sponsorship, we requested that USACE support the repairs. The cost of repairs was approximately $1 million and included:

  • Nearly 2,000 tons of rock, known as riprap, placed along nearly 1000 ft. of riverbank

  • Hydroseeding for soil stabilization

Renton is the local sponsor of the levee and is responsible for maintaining and keeping it operational in accordance with an operation and maintenance manual. This includes passing annual inspections by the US Army Corps of Engineers. This keeps the levee eligible for federal sponsorship and for post-flood repairs at no cost to our residents.

A big thanks goes to our diligent and proactive Public Works staff for the continued care and maintenance of the levee.

The repaired levee can be seen from the Cedar River Trail across the river from Renton Memorial Stadium.


STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO PREPARE

As we approach flood season, it’s as important as ever to know what to do in an emergency.

  • Plan how you will communicate with loved ones and get to higher ground.

  • Find empty sandbags and sand at a sandbag distribution location at kingcounty.gov/Sandbags. The nearest location is at the King County Roads Facility (3021 NE 4th St. Renton, WA 98056) in the Highlands next to the Renton Transfer Station.

  • Get a NOAA weather radio.

Learn more at rentonwa.gov/ReadyinRenton.


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