Crews work quickly to repair Green River Levee after it fails in King County

Crews acted quickly to stop the water from flowing after a levee breached along the Green River in King County.

The flow of the water has been stopped, and King County is completing a temporary repair, the City of Tukwila stated in a news release Monday evening.

“This is an area that we have been watching,” Director of King County Natural Resources and Parks John Taylor told KIRO Newsradio. “We were concerned about it. We did some repairs on it on Friday, and we had crews looking at it today. When the breach occurred, we were able to respond very swiftly.”

However, officials noted conditions can change suddenly, and residents are encouraged to “Get Set” to leave on very short notice in the Southcenter District, West Valley Highway area, and the eastside of Interurban Ave South (north of I-405 and the north end of Foster Golf Course), which are prone to flooding.

Areas north of South 180th Street and west of the Green River remain open. The Southcenter District is also open.

Other levees throughout King County will need repairs when the weather calms. Taylor explained the levees were not designed to hold back this much water for this long.

“We are monitoring a number of areas, on all of the levees right now, where we know there could be issues, and we’re going to try to stay ahead of it so we don’t have breaches,” he said.

Flash flood warning issued in King County after levee breach

A flash flood warning was issued in west-central King County after the Desimone Levee along Todd Boulevard in Tukwila failed. People were being asked to evacuate now and find higher ground.

Level 3 “Go Now” orders were issued for parts of Kent, Tukwila, and Renton. In Tukwila, the orders were issued for the part of the city south of S. 180th Street and west of West Valley Highway, the City of Tukwila stated, via Facebook.

The West Valley Highway between SR 516 and 37th Street N.W., near Emerald Downs, remains closed.

Evacuations downgraded to those closest to evacuation area

King County Emergency Management later told KIRO 7 reporter Brandon Thompson the evacuations had been downgraded to 1,100 people who are closest to the evacuation area — east of the Green River within the Orillia area of Tukwila, Renton, and Kent. The affected areas are primarily industrial.

However, there were crews from around the county assessing the situation.

“We just saw some big trucks from Kent with some rock and other things to maybe fill it up. They haven’t started any of that work right now, but I did just peek my head over the kind of asphalt path that’s broken, where this levee is broken and water isn’t flowing at a heavy rate, maybe kind of a trickle through right now, but it seems like the worst of the water rushing towards these warehouses is over for right now,” Thompson explained.

Gov. Ferguson urges residents in the area to ‘leave immediately’

“Leave immediately if you are in this area,” Washington Governor Bob Ferguson stated. “Conditions are dangerous and access routes may be lost at any time. Go north or south of evacuated area away from flooding waters. Do not drive or walk through standing or moving water. Turn around, don’t drown. Do not drive around barricades or road closures.”

“At 11:51 a.m., county dispatch reported the failure of Green River Levee causing flash flooding near the Green River in Tukwila,” the warning read.

Flash Flood Warning continues for King County, WA until 9:00 PM PST pic.twitter.com/L5clmhoWl7

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 15, 2025

KIRO Newsradio reporter Luke Duecy is at the scene, where crews are working to repair the damage.

#GreenRiver levee breach… wouldn’t call it fixed. Potential for worse… @KIRONewsradio @Mynorthwest pic.twitter.com/4y6QYh0gcG

— Luke Duecy (@LukeKIRO) December 15, 2025

Washington National Guard members are heading to King County for support.

Residents, businesses east of Green River issued ‘Go Now’ orders

King County Emergency Management Director Brendan McCluskey told KIRO Newsradio the affected area has several businesses.

“The immediate area that’s affected right now is almost exclusively industrial and commercial, so businesses in that area need to evacuate,” he said.

County dispatch stated the flash flooding could have been “life-threatening.” According to NWS, 46,557 people, two schools, and one hospital were at risk before evacuation orders were downgraded. According to KIRO 7, 1,100 people received notifications to move to higher ground immediately.

The Renton School District told KIRO 7 it is not impacted and is not evacuating. Additionally, no hospitals in the area evacuated.

The warning will be in place until 9 p.m. Monday.

King County has experienced three dam failures over the past 100 years. The first incident occurred in 1918 near North Bend, and the most recent in 1997 in Shoreline. Seven deaths have been attributed to dam failure.

“It’s fairly rare for at least our area,” KIRO 7 meteorologist Nick Allard said. “I’ve been forecasting here for 22 years, and it’s pretty unusual to see a levee break.”

Water will remain high for next week or so

McCluskey said water levels are extremely high and will remain that way for the next seven to 10 days because of the water behind the dam and the additional rain coming down.

“This is not something that’s going to clear up just today — it’s long-term,” he added.

Shelters available in Auburn

Shelters are available at the Auburn Community and Event Center, located at 910 9th Street S.E. in Auburn, Ray of Hope Shelter, located at 2806 Auburn Way N. in Auburn, and the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, located at 14405 179th Ave. S.E. in Monroe. More information can be found here.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest; Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio

Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here.