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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Volunteers Feel Heat As Waters Rise High Temperatures Fuel The Flood Watch

Summertime temperatures tested North Idaho residents Thursday as they stacked sandbags against the ever-growing rivers of melting snow.

Dozens of volunteers gathered at Harbor Island in the evening to bolster snaking walls of sandbags, already wet from the rising Spokane River.

The river is expected to crest 2-1/2 feet above summer level at the island Monday, which is a half-foot above the river level during the 1996 flood.

Lake Coeur d’Alene is also expected to crest Monday at 7-1/2 feet above summer level.

A flood expert from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was flying to Coeur d’Alene on Thursday to give the county and volunteers advice on how best to build the walls, said Sandy Von Behren, Kootenai County Disaster Services coordinator.

“We’re going to go by that advice, and raise the sandbags to the level they suggest,” she said. “You can’t just go up. The water will push it over.”

Clark Fork residents didn’t have a lot of expertise in containing both the raging Clark Fork River or Mosquito Creek, but they had lots of eager volunteers.

Students from the Clark Fork Junior/ Senior High spent much of their day Thursday filling sandbags and piling them around homes and property.

“Troops of children have been sandbagging most of the day,” said teacher Sandy Ross. “Lots of kids walked to their homes and brought back shovels…

“Everyone’s kind of pulling together. It’s kind of a Clark Fork thing.”

The National Weather Service forecast warned that increased snowmelt would bring very high water to the Clark Fork River for the next several days.

On Wednesday the Clark Fork River was flowing at 82,000 cubic feet per second. On Thursday, it increased to 120,000 cfs, according to Washington Water Power.

The influx of water will fill up Lake Pend Oreille more quickly than previously expected. The Weather Service said the lake may reach flood levels by early next week.

The Clark Fork Bridge and the Old River Road were flooded late Thursday. The road was expected to be closed before this morning.

Anticipating high water in Bayview, Bayview Fire District and Kootenai County Disaster Services are scheduling a meeting to advise Bayview residents Monday evening, Von Behren said.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Bayview Community Center.

Rising waters on Lake Coeur d’Alene caused a hazard of another kind when a diesel tank at a Harrison Marina overflowed with floodwater.

An underground tank at Gateway Resort & Marina started bubbling forth diesel fuel after the lake rose and water got into the fill cap of the tank.

Water filled the tank and 500 or more gallons of fuel spread in the water. A hazardous materials team from Kootenai County responded, and spent most of the day cleaning up the mess and sand-bagging around the tank.

County authorities were just as concerned about the threat of big wakes Thursday, however.

Sheriff Pierce Clegg issued an announcement that sheriff’s deputies would start issuing citations to boaters who violate the no-wake order in effect during the high waters.

The sheriff’s department has been fielding hundreds of phone calls from distressed lakeside residents whose docks and shores are being damaged from large wakes, said Sgt. Dan Soumas.

“We have reached the end of our rope,” Soumas said. “If you hit the sandbags on Harbor Island (with a wake) you’re going to flood out 15 or 20 homes.”

In St. Maries, a Corps of Engineers flood-fighting team was going from one leaky dike to another, trying to prevent any large-scale breaches.

“We’ve got 50 or 60 reported leaks, but they’re not necessarily that bad,” said George Currier, Benewah County civil defense director. “There’s no reason for panic, but we’re watching them now because there’s been pressure on the dikes for so long. We do worry about catastrophic failure.”

The Idaho Department of Transportation imposed a speed limit on state Highway 3 near St. Maries, which runs on top of a dike.

Flooding has caused the dike, from Hells Gulch road to Mission Point, to become soft and susceptible to damage, according to the highway department. The temporary speed limit will help protect the dike from failure.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo