Funds must be available for flood control projects in response to unusual, unforseeable [unforeseeable] , and emergent flood conditions and must be allocated in amounts adequate for the preservation of life and property. The following criteria must be the basis of allocating the emergency funds:

(1) Appropriations from the FCAAP fund for emergency projects will require the declaration of an emergency by the appropriate local authority.

(2) Application for emergency funds must be made on the same form used for nonemergency fund applications.

(3) Payment of FCAAP funds for emergency projects will be based on project construction costs. Flood fighting costs may be included.

(4) Payment for emergency work must be allocated on a first-come first-serve basis and may not be based on any priority system.

(5) At the discretion of ecology, emergency funds may be made available for use on nonemergency projects.

(6) The maximum amount of emergency funds initially available for any one county is one hundred fifty thousand dollars per biennium. If the total available emergency funds are not needed by other counties, and the amount of emergency funds needed in a county exceeds one hundred fifty thousand dollars, the county can request additional emergency funds.

(7) The flood control assistance account contribution may not exceed eighty percent of the eligible project cost of an emergency project.

(8) Emergency funds will only be made available to projects that have been given approval for matching funds by the department of ecology before construction work is performed.