Mold Removal in Stanwood, WA

Living with the Stillaguamish

Stanwood is a small Snohomish County city about 41 miles north of Seattle, near the mouth of the Stillaguamish River where it meets the tidal estuaries of Skagit Bay. Diked farmland surrounds it. Century-old dikes protect about 2,200 acres of farmland, and Highway 532 acts as a levee for downtown. Flooding has been called the town's constant nemesis.

The history is long. In 1910, floodwater covered the floors of nearly every house in town. In 1951, dikes failed at Stanwood and East Stanwood. In 1990, residents of Leque Road were evacuated. In the January 2009 flood, boats and hovercraft rescued people on Marine Drive and Thomle Road just south of the city in four to five feet of water, while downtown businesses sandbagged. In December 2023 the river set an all-time record crest upstream at Arlington; Stanwood stocked sandbags and the dikes west of town held. The city keeps a deployable floodwall on Marine Drive near the park and ride for high-river events.

Why water backs up

When the Stillaguamish rises above the level of Irvine Slough, stormwater cannot drain out and downtown Stanwood can flood even if the dikes hold. That kind of shallow, slow water is easy to underestimate. It soaks carpet, the bottom of drywall and crawl space insulation, and if those materials are not dried within 24 to 48 hours, EPA says to assume mold growth.

• Lift and remove wet carpet and pad right away.
• Cut drywall above the wet line and open the cavity.
• Pull soaked insulation out of the crawl space and get air moving.

Floodplain rules and permits

The City of Stanwood Community Development Department processes building, land use and construction permits through its permit portal and issues Floodplain Development Permits. Filling, grading, new construction or alterations in the Municipal Floodplain require one, and a floodplain structure damaged or improved by more than 50 percent of its market value must be raised to the designated floodplain elevation. Talk to Community Development before rebuilding after flood or mold damage; the mold cleanup itself is not described as permitted work.

Stanwood Code Compliance enforces building, zoning and nuisance codes through the Report a Concern form; outside city limits, Snohomish County Code Enforcement covers it. Renters should give the landlord written notice of leaks. The Snohomish County Health Department does not investigate mold in private homes or test mold, and it refers landlord disputes to the Dispute Resolution Center of Snohomish and Island Counties.

Hiring help

Your call reaches an independent local company. Washington has no state mold license or certification; check L&I construction contractor registration on the Verify a Contractor tool before you sign.