CONTACT: Daniel DeMay, 206-265-9197

King County, WA – Yesterday, the King County Flood Control District (District) Board of Supervisors approved Resolution FCD2026-09, authorizing the distribution of more than $12.2 million in grant funding to support 80 local watershed restoration and salmon recovery projects through the 2026 Cooperative Watershed Management (CWM) Grant Program.

“The King County Flood Control District is proud to support the critical salmon habitat and ecosystem restoration work led by our watershed partners throughout King County,” said Reagan Dunn, Chair of the King County Flood Control District. “By approving funding for 80 projects totaling more than $12.2 million, we are helping local communities, organizations, and the Water Resource Inventory Areas advance innovative restoration efforts that will improve watershed health, support salmon recovery, and strengthen our region’s natural environment for future generations.”

This is the 14^th year of the CWM Grant Program, which is a cornerstone of the District’s investment in healthy ecosystems and community resilience. The 2026 grant round received 107 applications requesting over $21.3 million in funding. The grant program received more applications than last year, and the total amount requested exceeded available funding in the budget by more than $9 million. This demonstrates the growing community interest in this important grant program and underscores the growing regional demand for environmental restoration and water quality improvements.

“Creating resilient communities requires us to recognize that flood risk reduction, functioning floodplains, and thriving salmon habitat are interconnected,” said King County Flood Control District Vice Chair Sarah Perry. “The Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Program supports projects that benefit both people and the environment while maximizing public investment. These grants will help local partners deliver lasting benefits for King County’s residents, ecosystems, and salmon populations.”

The CWM Grant Program serves as a financial foundation for the four Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs) in King County. The grant funding will support projects and activities in the King County portions of the WRIAs. Following a rigorous technical review process and committee deliberations within each WRIA, local advisory groups submitted recommendations for funding including:

• WRIA 7 Snoqualmie/Skykomish Watershed Forum:
  • 16 projects received funding totaling $2,399,991
• WRIA 8 Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed Salmon Recovery Council:
  • 29 projects received funding totaling $4,521,113
• WRIA 9 Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed Ecosystem Forum:
  • 33 projects received funding totaling $4,658,862
• WRIA 10 Puyallup-White Watershed Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) & Puyallup and Chambers Salmon Recovery Lead Entity:
  • 2 projects received funding totaling $620,899

The program, which doubled in funding in 2020, now accounts for approximately 80% of the funds secured for WRIA-led restoration efforts, making the District one of the region’s most significant funders of salmon recovery and watershed health.