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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Dams Must Spill As Flood Recedes Rural West Side Residents Face More Flooding From Reservoir Overflow

From Staff And Wire Reports

The flooding threat from Washington’s rivers eased Friday, but not before some residents faced additional problems as water was released from dams filled to the brim by days of heavy rain.

At noon, the Army Corps of Engineers increased the flow from its Mud Mountain Dam on the White River near Enumclaw. The extra water was expected to flood some rural residents near the dam, which was built to keep floodwaters from swamping Puyallup and parts of Tacoma downstream.

Swelled by recent rains and melting mountain snowpacks, Mud Mountain Reservoir was at a record 1,160 feet, the corps said, and needed to be lowered by 260 feet.

“It is unfortunate that residents who live in the flood plain below the dam are susceptible to flooding during these outflows, but the corps can’t jeopardize the entire Puyallup Valley to benefit the few in the flood plain,” said Wayne Wagner, water management section chief with the corps’ Seattle District.

The increased flows from the dam will continue for several days until the reservoir falls to its normal operating level, the corps said.

Elsewhere reservoir levels will have to be gradually reduced to make room for the spring snowmelt, but that is months away, Army Corps officials said.

Upstream reservoirs that are filled nearly to capacity include Hungry Horse and Libby in Montana, Arrow in Canada and Dworshak and Pend Oreille in Idaho.

In Eastern Washington, the Che lan County Public Utility District had to shut down part of Rock Island Dam on the Columbia River on Thursday to prevent damage from flood debris. Fish ladders at Tumwater Canyon and Dryden dams on the Wenatchee River also were jammed with silt and debris.

In North Idaho, Silver Valley residents flocked to the stores to buy bottled water after two days of flooding damaged several public wells in Shoshone County.

The Coeur d’Alene River receded Friday from a high of 47.3 feet - 4 feet above flood stage - to below 43 feet.

“It’s been dropping like the dickens,” Enaville, Idaho, resident Perry Brown said.

Latour Creek Road re-opened to truck traffic about 1 p.m. after more than 100 families were stranded above its flooded belly south of Interstate 90. By nightfall officials predicted only a half-dozen families in the Dudley area immediately east of Rose Lake would still be trapped.

To the south, the St. Joe River receded slowly but dropped below flood stage early Friday.

“We had no unexpected loss of property,” said Benewah County disaster coordinator George Currier, adding that 12 camper trailers either sunk or were destroyed when they rushed downstream.

“Those people should have known better,” he said. “You can’t beat Mother Nature. Best you can hope for is to fight her to a draw.”

The National Weather Service said cooler air was spreading throughout Washington and Idaho, along with a high pressure system. That meant snow levels in the Cascade mountains were expected to drop - with up to 10 inches of snow expected on mountain passes by early today.

Much of the rest of Washington state should have at least some sunshine during the weekend, but cooler temperatures.

Forecasters warned, however, that more rain and warm weather could return Sunday. That could cause rivers to again flood, but not to the earlier levels, they said.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported from the floods, brought on by heavy rains and unseasonably warm temperatures earlier this week. No damage figures were available, but the destruction in Washington state appeared far less than the more than $160 million in damage caused by floods five years ago.

Still, scores of homes suffered water damage and several hundred people were evacuated from along rivers statewide. Most were returning home Friday.

U.S. 2, the Stevens Pass highway, was among the worst-damaged routes. East of the summit it was washed away by record Wenatchee River flows in at least three places in scenic Tumwater Canyon. Officials estimated the canyon portion of the route would be closed at least a month for repairs.

Flood warnings remained posted for 11 Washington rivers as the state

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