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Floodwaters Recede in Places; Gregoire Declares Emergency

Posted on: Sunday, 15 January 2006, 18:00 CST

By John Dodge, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

Jan. 14--Floodwaters that forced evacuations and caused headaches in low-lying river areas this week continued to recede Friday. But they crept up in other areas, including Scott Lake, south of Tumwater.

Gov. Christine Gregoire declared a state of emergency across the region Friday. She estimated heavy rain and flooding have caused more than $7.3 million in damage statewide. The proclamation means state agencies and departments will do everything possible to assist in areas where flooding has been a problem.

"Is the worst over? It's too hard to tell right now," Riverside Manor Apartments manager Teresa Harris said as she watched the Nisqually River slowly retreat Friday from the 40-unit complex south of Interstate 5.

The floodwaters, which peaked Wednesday night, didn't enter any first-floor apartments, she said.

The Nisqually, Skookumchuck and Deschutes rivers all dropped below flood stage early Friday and the Chehalis River in Thurston County was expected to do so Friday night, the National Weather Service reported.

But the floodwaters of the Chehalis are likely to cause flooding of farms and roads in Grays Harbor County this weekend as the slug of water continues its steady march to the harbor, butting up against high tides along the way.

Scott Lake was a problem area Friday. A creek flowing out of the lake was backing up in the community because the water was having difficulty draining into the flood-choked Chehalis River.

Several Scott Lake homes were surrounded by water Friday, but there were no immediate reports of flood damage inside homes, county spokesman John Tennis said.

Thurston County officials and the American Red Cross were assisting residents of some Scott Lake homes. Water is standing over septic systems in some areas near the lake, which is off Case Road and 113th Avenue Southwest.

That can lead to sewage becoming mixed with the floodwaters, which then pose a health threat, said Jim Bachmeier of Thurston County Water and Waste Management. People are discouraged from wading in the waters at Scott Lake, he said in a press release.

The Red Cross, Mount Rainier Chapter, is continuing to operate a shelter at Nisqually Middle School, 8100 Steilacom Road S.E., for any Thurston County residents concerned about flooding around their homes. The contact number for the shelter is 360-352-8575.

In south county, road crews reopened School Land Road, a portion of Anderson Road and Tilley Road Friday morning, Tennis said. But several others, including Moon Road, Independence Road near Lucky Eagle Casino, portions of Anderson Road and 110th, 175th, 183rd and 188th avenues were still off-limits to motorists as darkness fell Friday night. Intermittent rainfall Friday marked the 28th consecutive day of precipitation in South Sound. The seven-day forecast shows no relief in sight, except for a short respite during the day Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

The threat of landslides remains high in the Puget Sound region, thanks to the saturated soil that grows unstable with heavy rain, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The likelihood of landslides is especially high when it rains more than one inch in 24 hours, according to the USGS.

County engineers are keeping a close eye on the Salmon Creek basin south of Tumwater, which has a particularly high groundwater table that can spill to the surface and cause localized flooding after several months of wet weather.

"We still have some room left for storage, but it's on our watch list," Bachmeier said.

On Friday, the county had no estimates of flood damage or any idea how many people fled their homes this week in the wake of flooding.

"It's too early for that," Tennis said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

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Source: The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

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