The King County Flood Control District has awarded more than $4.6 million to salmon habitat and recovery efforts throughout King County.

The grants – in its seventh year of distribution – promotes environmental health and salmon conservation.

“Salmon conservation is a priority for the King County Flood Control District,” said Flood Control District Chair Reagan Dunn, who announced the awards Wednesday. “This funding will provide support to help ensure that our salmon runs are healthy, and that we continue to conserve our environmental and cultural heritage.”

“By giving these big grants to watershed groups, the King County Flood Control District is doing great things for habitat and salmon recovery,” said Flood Control District Vice Chair Dave Upthegrove.

The King County Flood Control District Board of Supervisors, comprised of all nine King County Councilmembers, awarded the grants to the four Washington State Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIA) inside King County. Together, they are receiving $4,684,168 in funding to promote salmon health and habitat recovery.

The WRIA include the Snoqualmie Watershed (Area 7), the Cedar and Sammamish Watersheds (Area 8), the Duwamish and Green Watersheds (Area 9), and the portion of the Puyallup and White Watersheds that are inside King County (Area 10).

The Water Resource Inventory Area staff and committee members reviewed the projects for eligibility and visited project sites for a technical review. Each WRIA submitted its proposal for projects to receive funding of water quality and water resources and habitat restoration projects and activities as follows:

• WRIA 7: $1,065,431 (King County portion)

• WRIA 8: $1,872,692 (WRIA 8’s request of $1,872,692 included additional funds not allocated by the Flood Control District as a result of work completed under budget or an inability to use grant funds as planned.)

• WRIA 9: $1,983,227

• WRIA 10: $241,345 (King County portion)