Lower Puyallup River Floodplain Mapping Services

Pierce County will select a qualified engineering firm who demonstrates expertise in hydraulic and hydrologic (H&H) modeling and mapping. This project is to map the lower 14 miles of the Puyallup River (Sumner to Commencement Bay) using the federal mapping standards so that the work can be used to update the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps.

The Lower Puyallup River was identified by FEMA in 2004 as being at great risk of flooding because the levees did not meet federal accreditation standards. The mapped risk never was shown on the FEMA map update do to issues with levee mapping in other states. Recent hydrologic modeling shows the base flood flows to be much greater than the 2004 data, making our unpublished understanding of risk out of date. Because the lower Puyallup valley was "secluded" from the FEMA mapping, this large area will require a physical map revision (PMR).

The selected engineering firm will work in the FEMA standards so that this work can be accepted into the federal data delivery system. The selected firm will need experience with FEMA standards to minimize expenses and delays enroute to final adoption of a map update.