What was the effect of the flood control dams on the floods last year?
Flood control dams prevented catastrophic flooding in the Puyallup, Green and Skagit basins. Damages downstream of the Corps of Engineers Mud Mountain dam on the White and Puyallup rivers and Howard Hanson dam on the Green river were very minor. Damages prevented on the White/Puyallup are estimated at $146 million and $268 million on the Green. The combination of Seattle City Light’s Ross dam and Puget Sound Power’s Upper Baker dams prevented catastrophic levee overtopping in the Skagit basin and damages prevented by the dams exceeded $100 million.
