.jpg)
Water, water everywhere
Flooded streets, landslides and a rising river have residents on alert
By Marguerite Alexander
Correspondent, The Sun
The rain continued to fall and the snow continued to melt Thursday morning and residents of the West Valley woke up to find "High Water" signs all over local roads.
Water was crossing Highway 18B in several spots between Sheridan and Willamina and even higher water was over the roadway of some side streets, including most of the streets in Northwest Sheridan, where up to 18 inches filled neighborhoods.
Clogged drains keep City crews busy
Heavy rains take a toll on the infrastructure of cities. Water, sewer, storm drains and city streets are impacted when torrential rains inundate the local resources.
The City of Willamina dealt with the ongoing issue of sediment clogging the water intake system. The rain flowing into Willamina Creek stirred up sediment which once again clogged the water intake.
City crews placed the backup pump in the river to be used until the sediment could be cleared from the intake screens. As of Monday afternoon, the backup pump was still in use.
 During periods of heavy rainfall, when Willamina Creek becomes too muddy for the city to treat and use, Willamina relies on stored water. The cities water treatment plant was not in operation for a couple of days while the city waited for the water to clear up. As of Monday, the city was producing treated water and the water reservoirs were once again full.
The city sewer and streets faired well during the recent rain storm. The city reported minor problems with the sewer system backing up, but nothing more than the usual problems during high water events. There was no reported damage to city streets as the result of storm runoff and localized flooding.
In Sheridan the high volume of runoff caused several streets to flood. The water rose rapidly, reported City Manager Frank Sheridan. There was no standing water at 5 a.m. but by 7 a.m. there was ponding on city streets and drainage problems.
The areas hardest hit: the northwest section of town, the southeast quadrant and the 100 block of S.W. Jefferson Street. Standing water was also reported around the City Park.
City crews worked to unclog storm drains. “We used the Kubota extensively today,” reported Sheridan on Thursday. Utilizing an attachment that takes air at cab height and pushes it into the cab and engine compartments, the vehicle was able to navigate 18 and 20 inches of standing water.
The city enlisted the help of the prison to fill the sand bags with sand provided by the county. Peter Bride of Liberty Homes gave permission to use their parking lot at the east end of Sheridan Road for sandbags.
“I would like to personally thank the staff at the FCI, dozens of citizen volunteers from Sheridan and Willamina, Bob Majors and General Utilities crew, Yamhill County Public Works, Yamhill County Sheriff’s Department, Peter Bride of Liberty Homes and the Sheridan city staff,” said Sheridan Public Works Director Kie Cottam.
With water flow from the springs on Stoney Mountain high and the water plant receiving an inordinate amount of spring water, two men from the city were sent to Stoney Mountain to “turn-out” some of the spring water to reduce water flow, reported City Manger Frank Sheridan. “That water overflow heads for either the already burdened storm drains or the sanitary sewer lines into the sewer plant,” Sheridan said.
Roads impacted
The strong wind and the heavy rain last week took a toll on roadways as well. While state highways passing through the Coast Range impacted travel for large numbers of people, the flooding of county and city streets made travel inconvenient for local residents.
On the morning of Jan. 18, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced that Highway 18 was closed between Otis and Grand Ronde due to fallen trees on or near the highway. As the weather conditions made the removal of trees hazardous, the road remained closed until the following afternoon.
The state contracted with commercial logging companies to clear the highway, and around noon on Thursday, one lane of travel was opened on the busy thoroughfare. The second lane was opened overnight but was closed again during the day on Friday to allow crews to continue removing trees and debris.
To the east, standing water forced the closure of the underpass at the junction of Highway 18 and Highway 99W on the western edge of McMinnville. Motorists were detoured around the underpass until the water was gone.
The Bellevue Highway running east of Bellevue to Amity was also flooded. As of Tuesday morning, before the next storm front had arrived, ODOT still listed the highway as closed.
Motorists travelling between Sheridan and Willamina were also forced to drive through water on Highway 18B near Boise Cascade or opt to take Highway 18 around the flooded area.
Water was also reported on other rural roads including Tindle Creek, Fort Hill, Gopher Valley, Latham, and Muddy Valley.
Rural areas were also hit hard not only by the heavy rainfall but by the snow that preceded it. For five days straight county crews were kept busy sanding and clearing snow and ice from rural roads throughout the county.
Then the rain hit.
According to Yamhill County Roads Department Director John Phalen, the recent rains impacted the western portion of the county more than the rest of it. Even then, Yamhill County was not nearly as bad as in other counties, four of which were declared disaster areas.
Minor landslides were reported and culverts and ditches overflowed when they couldn’t handle the amount of rain flowing through them, Phalen said. Recovery from the high water event involved cleaning up and fixing roadways that had water flowing over them.
Rock Creek overflowed onto Rock Creek Road in numerous places. A landslide and downed power lines between Three Deer Lane and Buck Hollow Road resulted in a temporary road closure on Thursday.
On Tuesday morning county crews were once again called in early to sand as freezing rain and freezing fog made roadways at the upper elevations slick. “We budget overtime just for these events,” said Phalen. To date the county has not exceeded the amount budgeted for county crews to work overtime.
Flooded roads made for dangerous driving. Sheridan Fire District personnel responded to a call on Thursday afternoon of a vehicle into the water on Van Well Road, south of Ballston. Although the incident occurred in the Dallas Fire District, emergency crews were having trouble accessing the trapped occupants from roads leading off of Highway 22.
After the arrival of local firefighters—but before the arrival of Salem Water Rescue—a neighboring businessman provided the equipment needed to retrieve the stranded passengers.
Schools delayed or closed
With recent snows melting in the coastal hills and the West Valley picking up more than four inches of rain in a three-day period, local schools were impacted by last week’s wild weather.
Early in the week both Willamina and Sheridan school districts had some buses running on snow routes with schools on a 2-hour delay on Tuesday. Head Start closed their Yamhill County schools in anticipation of the storm.
With improving weather conditions on Wednesday, Willamina only ran their snow routes in the morning. On Thursday and Friday it was business as usual for the students and the bus drivers.
With sections of road around the Sheridan area covered with water and more rain in the forecast, Sheridan schools released students early on Thursday and canceled classes on Friday. The Sheridan Head Start was also closed on Friday.
A landslide on Thursday on Rock Creek Road between Buck Hollow Road and Three Deer Lane resulted in an early release of five Willamina students. As soon as the school district learned of the landslide, they contacted parents and took the students home.
River levels fluctuate
The National Weather Service utilizes information from two gauges along the South Yamhill River to monitor the stage and flow of the water. One gauge is located in McMinnville, just off Three Mile Lane, and the other is located southwest of Willamina.
Prior to the heavy rainfall recorded on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last week, the river was running between 2.8 and 3.0 feet at a flow rate of approximately 0.34 thousand cubic feet per second. When the rain started to fall and the snow in the coastal hills began to melt, the statistics began to change.
According to data recorded in McMinnville from the National Weather Service, 1.13 inches of rain fell on Tuesday. Another 1.36 inches of rain fell on Wednesday and 1.76 inches fell on Thursday. The three day total: 4.25 inches.
By 11:45 p.m. on January 17, the South Yamhill was measured at 3.52 feet with a flow rate of 0.587 kcfs. Just 24 hours later the river had jumped to 11.02 feet with a flow rate of 8.03 kcfs.
The river level continued to climb. At approximately 9:45 p.m. on Thursday it crested at 13.56 feet with a flow rate of 11.7 kcfs. By Saturday afternoon, the river had dropped to 9.66 feet and was running at a rate of 6.2 kcfs.
The river continued to drop, reaching 7.34 feet just before midnight on Sunday. Now, with heavy rain in the forecast, the National Weather Service expects the river to rise again. On Monday morning a flood watch was issued for the area.
A flood watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts. “Landslides and debris flows are possible during this flood event,” warned the NWS.
As of 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the NWS was forecasting the river to reach 10.88 feet at noon today.
The record river crest for the South Yamhill occurred on Dec. 22, 1964 when the river was measured at 17.07 feet.
More rain in forecast
Another strong storm system described as a fire hose of moisture spread rain throughout the region yesterday. Heavy rains are forecast to continue throughout the day today and into tomorrow.
On Monday the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the area. Heavy rain and snow melt are expected to cause a sharp rise in rivers and creeks, especially those draining the coast range. Minor flooding is possible with heavy rain expected to create standing water on roadways and minor flooding of city streets.
The flood warning took effect last night and continues through tomorrow evening.
As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, the forecast for the West Valley included .85 to 1.25 inches of rain on Tuesday with a possibility of another .20 to .50 rain today and more rain on Thursday.
There is sunshine in the long-range forecast.
The skies are expected to clear on Thursday night with mostly sunny skies forecast for Friday.
PHOTO CAPTION: A driver makes his way through the flood waters over Fort Hill Road last Thursday morning. Many roads throughout the West Valley had high water across them. (Photo by Clinton Vining)
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
