USACE Awards $35.9M Contract to Raise Mount St. Helens Sediment Retention Structure
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) awarded a $35.9 million contract to Anvil Builders, Inc. to raise the Mount St. Helens Sediment Retention Structure (SRS) by 10 feet.
This project aims to manage flood risk for downstream communities affected by sediment flow from the 1980 eruption. Construction is set to begin this summer and is expected to be completed by October 2027.
The SRS, completed in 1989 on the North Fork of the Toutle River, helps retain sediment that would otherwise reduce capacity in the Toutle and Cowlitz rivers, posing a flood risk to over 50,000 residents in Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock, and Lexington. The project is part of a long-term sediment control strategy authorized by Congress in 1985, which includes provisions for ongoing improvements as necessary.
