Rushing river threatens Maple Valley family farm
Dec 23, 2025, 5:56 AM
"Road Closed" signs due to recent flooding. (Photo: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)
(Photo: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)
The floodwaters may be gone, but the trouble is just getting started for some.
A portion of a Maple Valley farm was washed away by the nearby Cedar River.
The family who lives there told KIRO 7 they have lost one to two acres so far and worry things will get worse.
Part of the road leading to the farm has washed away too.
“This whole lot right here is completely gone,” Clint Willaford, the farm’s owner, said.
The rushing river has severely eroded the bank of Willaford’s property and parts of Southeast 184th Street.
“I know there’s people out there in much worse shape than I am, but I’m going to lose access into my property,” Willaford said. “And it could have been prevented.”
A spokesperson for the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks told KIRO 7 two levees on the Cedar River near Willaford’s property have been deemed “areas of concern.”
They are being monitored by crews and are slated for repairs.
Willaford worries repairs may be too little, too late.
“I get phone calls from people wanting to buy this property all the time,” he said. “But not any more. Not if I don’t have access.”
Willaford said the farm has been in his family since the 1950s.
He hopes to pass it along to his grandchildren if that is still an option when they are old enough.
“Losing a heritage,” Willaford said. “Losing my whole life.”
King County told KIRO 7 the levees were designed to protect nearby homes, not the roadway.
