Historic floods in December of 2025 and January of 2026 led floodplain planners and practitioners to convene to discuss lessons learned at a summit aptly named, “Float On – Tested by Floods, Shaped by What We Learn”. The summit, which attracted 40 participants, occurred on June 18, 2026, at the Pierce County Environmental Services Building. It was co-hosted by Pierce County’s Floodplains for the Future program and the Puyallup White River Lead Integrating Organization (PWRLIO), which is a sub-committee of the Puyallup River Watershed Council.
Throughout the day, participants had equal opportunities for learning and for relationship-building. Two presentations and one panel were interspersed with opportunities for conversation and collaboration. Presentations touched on the flood’s impacts on infrastructure, communities, and partnerships, while the panel shared suggestions for succession planning and workforce development for the future of floodplain planning and management. After each learning opportunity, participants engaged in conversations around their own and their organization’s experiences during the flood. Barriers, areas of success, and brainstorming toward future flood events were popular topics of conversation.
The deep learning and productive conversation that occurred during the Summit will help Floodplains for the Future and the PWPRLIO develop strategies for funding, capacity building, partner coordination, and project identification that builds on the success of past work and to move us toward a more resilient future for all Pierce County residents.
