Pierce County Surface Water Management used this funding to complete design and construction of the Orting Soldiers' Home Setback Levee project. Pierce County had already acquired the needed property. The project removed about 5,500 Lin-Ft of existing levee on the left bank of the Puyallup River between river mile 21.3 and 22.3 and constructed a new 5,200 Lin-Ft setback levee structure. The maximum width of the river corridor increased from the pre-existing condition of 250 feet to its present condition of 1,150 feet. The project opened up and re-connected the Puyallup River channel to about 53 acres of floodplain. The setback levee now allows for more natural channel migration and floodplain natural function and process. A smaller segment of side channel within the floodplain corridor area at the upstream end of the project was excavated, which allows river flow into the opened-up floodplain area more quickly. A series of root wad clusters were also built and placed along the setback levee alignment at 100-Ft intervals. This provides additional and enhanced riparian floodplain complexity for salmonid and other fish species. The existing river levees along the right and left bank of the Puyallup River upstream and downstream of the setback levee tie-in points were raised and fortified in-place. This provides a more contiguous levee structure for protection, structural integrity of the levees, and river flow stages. The project directly addressed two key limiting factors by allowing more natural channel and floodplain function and processes. Off-channel rearing and refugia habitat was created, and spawning habitat is improving in the channel because meandering will reduce grade, slow water velocities, and create more suitable substrates.