PACIFIC, Wash. -- Crews are building a wall that's 4 feet tall and 1 mile long around an entire city to protect it from a river that's in danger of flooding.

The Army Corps of Engineers believes the White River is in danger of flooding in the same place it caused a catastrophe last winter in the city of Pacific.

The river flooded the city in January after water was released from the Mud Mountain Dam. Residents were forced out as floodwaters poured into the city -- the deepest and most damaging in the city's history.

This year, engineers recently discovered the White River has become so loaded with rock and debris from last winter that it can't hold a quarter of the water that it could last year.

Crews are racing to install a sand-filled wall before the next big storm.

"It's changed our minds about leaving the area. We were actually going to move up into the Bothell-Woodinville area because of the threat of the flooding, and when we heard all this was happening, we decided to stay," said Pacific resident Cindy Doty.

Neighbors said the wall will help them sleep better at night.

"It's very ugly, but it doesn't matter what it looks like. We know our home is going to be safe and our things -- that's what matters," said Doty.

King County is doing the project, and Pierce County is picking it up on the other side of town. The wall will be in place for at least five years or until the river can be dredged out.