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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $35.9 million contract to Anvil Builders, Inc. to raise the Mount St. Helens Sediment Retention Structure by 10 feet, a project aimed at managing flood risks for downstream communities impacted by sediment flow from the 1980 eruption.

Construction is set to begin this summer and is expected to be completed by October 2027, as part of a long-term sediment control strategy authorized by Congress in 1985. The SRS, built in 1989, plays a crucial role in retaining sediment that could otherwise threaten the flood capacity of the Toutle and Cowlitz rivers, affecting over 50,000 residents in nearby areas.