Hoquiam moves toward North Shore Levee construction after federal funding restored

Hoquiam is moving closer to construction on the North Shore Levee after a court order required the Federal Emergency Management Agency to restore $150 million for stalled Washington projects, including $85 million for the Aberdeen-Hoquiam Flood Protection Project.

The Washington Office of Chehalis Basin reported the funding development in a May 5, 2026, update. The restored federal money covers projects that had been stalled, and the Aberdeen-Hoquiam project is one of the largest specifically identified beneficiaries.

For Hoquiam, the change comes as the city has already awarded an initial phase of the North Shore Levee’s west segment. That work is located on Levee Street in Hoquiam.

What happens next

The full project is expected to go out for bid after the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, grant agreement is signed. That step would allow the broader project to move into the bidding phase, but the available public update does not establish a final construction schedule or a date for the full-project bid.

The city lists the Aberdeen-Hoquiam Flood Protection Project on its ongoing-projects page. The project is intended to reduce flood risk in Hoquiam and Aberdeen, making the funding restoration relevant beyond the construction work itself.

A completed flood-protection system could affect how the communities plan for emergencies and protect property during flooding. It could also influence construction access, insurance exposure and longer-term resilience for areas served by the project. Those potential effects depend on the project’s final design and construction progress.

Regional flood protection

The project’s name reflects its reach across the two Grays Harbor communities. The $85 million allocation is part of the $150 million restored statewide, rather than a statement that all of the federal funding has already been received directly by Hoquiam.

The immediate, documented change is that the project has a restored federal funding path and an initial west-segment phase already awarded. The next identified milestone is the signing of the BRIC grant agreement, followed by bidding for the full project.

Until those steps are complete, the North Shore Levee remains an active project moving toward construction rather than a finished flood-protection system.