When South Park flooded in 2022, water and sewage damaged 25 homes, displaced residents and forever changed the Seattle neighborhood’s sense of safety.
Today the threat of flooding each winter is a risk for the community, especially in the face of sea-level rise and climate change.
As Seattle and King County prepare to spend tens of millions on both short- and long-term solutions to address this issue, South Park residents in low-lying areas say the future of their homes is uncertain.
Some have said they hope to stay by elevating their homes or through protection by a floodwall. Others say it will be a matter of time until they are forced to move.
Here are some of the important things to know about this neighborhood on the front lines of climate change.
Where is South Park?
South Park is an isolated neighborhood along the Duwamish River that is bisected and hemmed in by highways. Residents describe the neighborhood, which is Seattle’s smallest after Georgetown, as vibrant and diverse where people say they can truly count on their neighbors.
The neighborhood, which has experienced industrial pollution and discriminatory mortgage-lending practices, known as redlining, has been chronically overlooked and is no stranger to environmental injustices.
The Lower Duwamish has been designated as a Superfund site and studies have found that residents of the Duwamish Valley, which includes South Park, Georgetown and parts of Beacon Hill, have a life expectancy eight years shorter than other residents on average in Seattle and King County.
South Park is also one of the last affordable neighborhoods in Seattle. As of 2021, the neighborhood’s median household income was about $62,000, nearly $43,000 lower than the median of all Seattle households.
Why does the neighborhood flood?
South Park is low-lying with many parts of the neighborhood accustomed to winter flooding already. Flooding happens when there is too much water and nowhere for it to go.
If the Duwamish River is too high, either due to tides, low atmospheric pressure or other factors, rainwater can pool on the streets.
Some parts of the neighborhood are also on an older combined sewer system where both stormwater and sewage from sinks and toilets enter the same pipes. During heavy rain and high tides, some residents can experience sewage backups.
In 2022, the Duwamish River rose to an all-time high of 13.1 feet and overtopped its banks, leading to severe property damage at households on South Kenyon Street and a portion of unincorporated King County.
How has climate change contributed to flooding?
There is evidence that climate change has already worsened flooding in the neighborhood.
The average high tide in Elliott Bay has already risen about 10 inches since 1899, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ian Miller, a University of Washington coastal hazard specialist who studies sea level rise, said he believes the extreme flooding in 2022 would have been “close to impossible” without the sea level rise that has already occurred.
Predictions vary on how much sea-level rise Seattle will see by 2050 and 2100. But higher tides mean a greater frequency of flooding in South Park, with more of the neighborhood and maybe parts of Georgetown impacted.
What’s next for this neighborhood?
While Seattle Public Utilities and King County have already spent around $76 million in the neighborhood since 2013 to mitigate flooding and plan to spend at least $98 million more, it is unclear what the long-term solution will be for the neighborhood.
The “Duwamish Valley Resiliency District,” which includes both residents and businesses, is tasked with discussing potential long-term solutions, like building a permanent floodwall, elevating homes, buying out people living in flood-prone areas or restoring habitat and floodplains that would give the river more room to rise and fall.
It’s unclear who would fund these projects and Seattle Public Utilities has said this issue will require city, county, state and possibly federal collaboration.
