Deer Island, OR - May 26, 2020 - Columbia River PUD awarded the Scappoose Drainage Improvement Company (SDIC) an Economic Development Grant for $7,500. The PUD's Board of Directors approved the grant request during their May 19 meeting.

The grant will help SDIC recertify its levee according to FEMA requirements. The levee is approximately 10 miles long and serves around 900 landowners across 6,100 acres. Some of the businesses that reside within the district include Means Nursery, Cascades Tissue Group, Michael Curry Design, and many others.

Recertifying the levee prevents the land inside of it from being remapped into a flood zone. If it were deemed a flood zone, flood insurance rates would become excessive and create a financial hardship for the local businesses and property owners. The amount a business's insurance rates would increase varies depending on its location inside the flood zone.

"It can be up to five times (higher). The minimum we've seen is two and a half times. It's a huge impact," said SDIC Board Member Gary Wheeler. "It also has an impact on development. It would pretty much prohibit development if we don't get recertified. The flood insurance is huge."

Recertification of the levee would allow homeowners, businesses, and farmers to have a secure future.

CRPUD's Economic Development Grant is designed to promote investment in long-term economic development and growth of business and industry within the CRPUD service area for the benefit of the local community and CRPUD customers. It is available to nonprofit corporations for projects meeting certain considerations and requirements.

This is the second Economic Development Grant awarded by CRPUD in 2020. Learn more about the grant program at crpud.net/grant.