Engineering Department Duwamish and Green Rivers Flood Control Studies, 1922-1956

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Engineering Dept.
Title
Engineering Department Duwamish and Green Rivers Flood Control Studies
Dates
1922-1956 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.8 cubic foot, (2 boxes)
Collection Number
2606-04
Summary
Records relating to flood control in the basin of the Duwamish and Green Rivers, 1922-1975.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Located east of Tacoma, the Green-Duwamish River Basin covers 483 square miles. Originating in the Cascades, the Green River flows northwest and empties into Elliott Bay; the river turns into the Duwamish at the point where the Green and Black Rivers once converged.

Flooding in the Green River Valley was once a costly problem; it affected not only personal property, including crop losses and planting delays for hundreds of farms, but also city property and state and county roads. In 1947, an average of $200,000 total annual losses was estimated. Loss of human lives and of livestock also occurred during flooding periods. Possible methods for flood control included building a dam and reservoir on the Green River, constructing dykes, or excavating a river channel to carry flood waters. The dam, if "economically feasible," would be paid for by federal dollars. The Seattle Chamber of Commerce supported federal flood control, citing not only the high cost of flood damages, but also the potential for further agricultural and industrial development of the Duwamish basin if flooding were brought under control.

Government engineers also supported the idea of a dam; a project using federal funds to construct a dam on the Green River in Eagle Gorge was adopted by Congress in 1950. Originally known as the Eagle Gorge Dam, the dam was renamed Howard Hanson Dam, after the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Rivers and Harbors Committee chairman who was instrumental in the flood control project, when Hanson died in 1957. The dam was completed in 1962, and extensive development of the valley -- both agricultural and industrial -- soon followed. Although flood control remains the primary function of the Howard Hanson Dam, it is also used for irrigation and water supply.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The records relate to flood control in the basin of the Duwamish and Green Rivers. Material gathered for planning flood control and future industrial and agricultural land use includes information on local employment, utility usage, values of property, cost estimates, tax values, and tidelands. The files include correspondence, memoranda, reports, booklets, maps, charts, newspaper clippings, and notes. Key groups in the planning were the Rivers and Harbors Committee of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Seattle City Engineer.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Duwamish and Green Rivers Flood Control Studies, Record Series 2606-04. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Duwamish and Green Rivers Flood Control Studies, 1922-1956Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Seattle Rainfall Charts
1934
1/2
Extracts from Chief Engineer's USA Report on Green River: Floods
1935
1/3
Duwamish - Green River Flood Control
1946-1947
1/4
Miscellaneous: Duwamish - Green River Flood Control Project, Roads, Employment, Utilities, Seattle Chamber of Commerce Rivers and Harbors Committee
1946-1947
1/5
Duwamish Valley Seattle to Renton Junction: Report Covering Possible Developments Estimates of Costs and Economic Feasibility; also includes map
1947
1/6
Duwamish Valley Seattle to Renton Junction: Report Covering Possible Developments Estimates of Costs and Economic Feasibility; also includes map
1947
1/7
Instructions (sent): Green - Duwamish River Flood Control
1947
1/8
Instructions (not sent)
1947
1/9
1946 Duwamish - Green River Flood: Flood Control
1948
1/10
Green River Flood Control Project: Maps
1949
1/11
L.I.D. Re: Green River Flood Control: Index; Eagle Gorge Reservoir
1922-1956
1/12
L.I.D. Re: Green River Flood Control: Index; Eagle Gorge Reservoir
1922-1956
1/13
L.I.D. Re: Green River Flood Control: Index; Eagle Gorge Reservoir
1922-1956
2/1
Maps: Green River, Duwamish River, Cedar River
1933-1944
2/2
Maps: Green and Duwamish River Floods
1933-1947
2/3
Maps: Green River (topography of flooded area)
n.d.
2/4
Charts: Highway Benefits, Industrial Lands
1946
2/5
Duwamish Valley Zoning and Plat Maps
1949
2/6
Booklets: Pacific Northwest Industry and Employment
1945-1948
2/7
Estimate Sheet: Duwamish River Channel, Barge and Ship Canal
n.d.
2/8
Permanent International Association of Navigational Congress
1948-1950
2/9
National Rivers and Harbors Congress
1950

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Flood control--Planning--Washington (State)--Duwamish River
  • Flood control--Washington (State)--Duwamish River

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). City Engineer

Geographical Names

  • Cedar River (King County, Wash.)
  • Duwamish River (Wash.)
  • Green River (King County, Wash.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Charts
  • Clippings
  • Maps

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • Seattle Chamber of Commerce (creator)