Flood waters overtook part of Mack Lloyd Park in Winthrop last week.
Emergency crews stack sandbags, bolster levees, clear logjams
By Marcy Stamper
Emergency managers are breathing a sigh of relief with predictions for area river levels to crest 2 feet below the forecasts from less than a week ago.
Expectations for rapid melting of the mountain snowpack — still at 95 percent of normal — have been revised to a gradual melt-off, Eric Fritts, a public information officer with the Okanogan County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said on Tuesday (May 22).
With all that snow, rivers are still high and won’t come down for a while, said Jeff Cote, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane.
A combination of tireless sandbagging on the Okanogan River from Okanogan to Tonasket to Oroville and dropping water levels has helped alleviate concerns of more-serious flooding, said Fritts. “It’s looking pretty good — it looks like we’re safe,” he said.
Water in the Okanogan and Methow rivers has been receding, although it is forecast to come up again with warmer temperatures by this weekend, said Cote.
Even with the retreating waters, the Okanogan River was 2 feet above its minor flood stage of 15 feet on Tuesday, and will probably rise again to 17.9 feet by the weekend, said Cote. Flood warnings remain in place for low-lying areas around the Okanogan River and Lake Osoyoos.
The Methow River at Winthrop is forecast to rise to 17.5 feet by the end of this week, 9 inches below last week’s high. It should hold steady through early next week, followed by a slight drop, said Cote.
The Methow River dropped by 2 1/2 feet between Tuesday, May 15, and Tuesday (May 22). In that time, the gauge at Pateros saw a drop of almost 2 feet. At Goat Creek, the Methow River dropped by 1 1/2 feet.
Some instability
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reinforced a levee in Lost River to protect riverfront properties.
Although water levels are not as high as earlier forecasted, because the ground is so saturated, some areas may become unstable, according to the EOC.
Scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast this week but expected to diminish by the weekend, said Cote. “If the thunderstorm cells hit just right and rain is really heavy over the right basin, there could be a big impact,” he said.
Parts of the Methow Valley received heavy rain last Thursday (May 17), but the storm was really localized, said Katherine Rowden, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane. “If you were under one of those outbursts, it poured,” but the storm was not widespread, she said.
In a span of less than 10 miles, rainfall amounts ranged from 1/4 inch to 1 inch, said Steve Bodnar, a weather service meteorologist. Rainfall in the Okanogan was lighter, sparing already overflowing rivers and lakes. Mountain precipitation fell largely in areas where snow had already melted, he said.
Temperatures should continue above normal through Friday before dropping over the holiday weekend and spiking again next week, said Cote.
Reinforcements
Last week, crews with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers strengthened levees in Lost River and Mazama to protect riverfront properties.
On Monday (May 21), the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) removed logs from a large logjam below the Lower Gold Creek Bridge on Highway 153 that risked scouring the bridge piers. The remaining logs will be removed later this week, said Don Becker, maintenance supervisor for the Twisp/Brewster area with the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Some boaters were alarmed by the logjam. River guide Steve Taylor rafted the Methow River last week and said the Gold Creek jam extended halfway across the river. “Every second there’s pressure on the abutments, the bridge is stressed,” he said. Taylor was also concerned that cables and old pedestrian bridges could snag boaters carried perilously close by high water.
WSDOT crews also put rip-rap along the banks of the Methow River at the Weeman Bridge near Mazama to stop erosion, said Becker.
Crews with the Washington Conservation Corps and Washington State Patrol placed more than 220,000 sandbags along the banks of the Okanogan River, protecting more than 6,600 feet of levees from Okanogan to Oroville. Residents are advised to leave sandbags in place until the risk of cresting waters has passed.
“It’s possible we’ve seen the peak, but rivers will continue to run high and stay at flood stage,” said Bodnar.
The EOC will most likely be demobilized on Friday (May 25), but crews from the Army Corps will remain in the county to ensure the stability of levees. Volunteers with Team Rubicon will also be on hand to help residents during the flood and after waters recede.
Many roads in the central and northeastern parts of the county are still closed, but some were reopened as of Monday (May 21). The Okanogan River will remain closed through the Memorial Day weekend to protect boaters and emergency crews.
The EOC can be reached through Friday (May 25) at (509) 422-7348. After that, call Okanogan County Emergency Management at (509) 422-7206. Updates are also available on the Emergency Management Facebook page.
