Project site map
Site preparation
Levee construction
Excavating trench to install toe rock
Stream restoration
New BNSF Railway crossing for levee access
Fall hydroseeding on new levee
Construction complete in September 2017 with planting in spring 2018.
Prior to project construction, the upstream end of the Deming Levee was an aging, substandard berm that overtopped relatively frequently during floods with a 10- to 15-year recurrence interval. The old berm also prevented upland drainage from the Marshall Hill area from reaching the Nooksack River and flooded areas in the Deming community.
This project extended the Deming Levee about 1,000 feet to the east and connected it into a railroad embankment. The new levee is designed for a 100-year flood event. A 100-year flood has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. In addition to levee improvements, the Marshall Hill stream was rerouted into a new channel flowing from a culvert under the railroad embankment to a side channel of the Nooksack River. This rerouted channel provides new fish habitat and improves floodplain connectivity.
Engineering design was completed by Brown and Caldwell and Shannon and Wilson, Inc.