King County officials plan to close the Kent animal shelter by Nov. 1 because of the risk of flooding this winter in the Green River Valley due to reduced capacity at the reservoir behind the Howard Hanson Dam.

County staff continues to search for an alternate site or sites to house as many as 400 dogs and cats at the shelter as well as handle strays or lost animals brought to the shelter.

“Because of the threat of flooding, we have to move them out of the Green River Valley to an alternate location,” said Christine Lange, spokeswoman for King County Animal Care and Control, in a phone interview Thursday. “We are looking at several different locations.”

Lange declined to reveal the locations until the county has reached agreements at the sites to house the animals as well as county staff.

“It’s not a hugely difficult challenge,” Lange said. “There are many places out there that fit our needs. There are kennels and vet clinics. We have options. We are looking all over King County.”

Lange said a site or sites are expected to be finalized within the next few weeks.

“Our goal is Nov. 1 because that is the beginning of the flood season,” Lange said.

County officials expects as much as 3 or 4 feet of water to flood the Kent Shelter at 21615 68th Ave. S. if the river levees overflow because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases more water than normal through the dam.

“We could protect our building,” Lange said. “But if we get only three to five days notice of potential flooding that would not give us enough time to move the animals.”

The cost to move the animals to another location won’t be known until a new location or locations are found, Lange said.

Brenda Barnette, chief executive officer of the private, nonprofit Seattle Humane Society in Bellevue, said her staff is ready to help out to provide shelter for animals that need to be moved. Barnette said members of her staff have talked to the county, but no official agreement has been reached on what role the Humane Society might play.

“Our staff is ready to take a lead and make sure none of the animals don’t have the help they deserve,” Barnette said in a phone interview Friday.

Barnette said her staff is looking at ways to update the shelter’s capacity to handle more dogs and cats, such as bringing in modular units.

Because of county budget shortfalls, King County Executive Kurt Triplett proposed on Thursday that the county get out of the animal care and shelter business by June 2010. He wants the 32 cities that contract with the county for animal services to take over the animal-sheltering business.

The Kent shelter opened in 1975.