Editing Mount Vernon, Washington (section)

==Flood control and waterfront redevelopment==
[[Image:Skagit River sandbagging 2003.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Skagit River]], which flows through Mount Vernon, is prone to flooding during periods of heavy rain in the [[Cascade Range|Cascades]]. In October 2003 the townspeople of Mount Vernon turned out to build a sandbag dike along the river in anticipation of a flood.]]
Since this city was founded, the downtown area of Mount Vernon bordering the [[Skagit River]] has been plagued by flooding, especially during times of heavy rain. Historically, each time the water rose above a certain level, citizens had to work together to build a [[sandbag]] wall stretching six city blocks and as high as {{convert|5|ft|m}}.

In the spring of 2007, the city council authorized the mayor to purchase a mobile [[flood wall]] from Norway-based company [[AquaFence]], the first such flood wall sold in the United States.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Miner |first=Gary |date=March 2023 |title=Norwegian AquaFence Offers Alternative to Sandbags |url=https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuanN0b3Iub3JnL3N0YWJsZS80MTMxMjk5Mg-- |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=[[American Waterworks Association]] |language=en}}</ref> The flood wall is {{convert|4|ft|m}} high and can be assembled in as little as three hours by a handful of volunteers as opposed to the up to 12 hours and hundreds of volunteers required by the traditional sandbag wall.

A permanent flood wall was completed in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flood Warning issued for Mount Vernon Friday as heavy rains take their toll |url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/mount-vernon-prepares-for-flood-season-as-heavy-rains-move-in/281-eb04fd90-f512-47c5-91ae-f35c715d68f6 |last=Lafferty |first=Kaila |date=October 28, 2021 |publisher=[[KING-TV]] |access-date=November 17, 2021}}</ref>

After adequate [[flood control]] is in place, a Citizens' Advisory Committee plans to enhance the city's use of the [[revetment]], which is currently used mostly for parking and a seasonal [[farmer's market]].<ref>[http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/today_is_last_hurrah_for_hospital_farmers_market/]{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref> Current{{When|date=September 2024}} plans call for a promenade with condos or mixed-use development facing the river. A two- or three-story parking garage is planned to replace the revetment parking lost due to development.<ref>[http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/council_to_discuss_garage_design_funding/]{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref> During Thanksgiving 2017 the city, as well as [[Lyman, Washington|Lyman]] and Hamilton, experienced flooding;<ref>Boer, Katie. (November 24, 2017). "Highest river level in decades puts Mt. Vernon's nearly complete floodwall to the test". [http://q13fox.com/2017/11/24/highest-river-level-in-decades-puts-mt-vernons-nearly-complete-flood-wall-to-the-test/ Q13 Fox website] Retrieved November 30, 2017.</ref> and again on November 15, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=S |first1=Jane |last2=ers |date=November 16, 2021 |title=RECOMMENDED EVACUATION 11/15/2021 |url=https://skagitbreaking.com/2021/11/15/recommended-evacuation-11-15-2021/|access-date=November 23, 2021 |website=Skagit Breaking: Community News |language=en}}</ref>