Dry Spring Pleases Island Residents

On Wednesday, Harbor Island residents celebrated this year’s dry spring.

The island in the Spokane River just west of Coeur d’Alene experienced major flooding in 1996 and 1997. Last year, homeowners and the Federal Emergency Management Agency spent $150,000 on a new bridge to stave off future flooding. Local residents report that the bridge is allowing more water to pass through a channel that historically backed up, greatly reducing the threat of flooding, Von Behren said. Residents also spent $275,000 on a floodwall around the island.

Homeowners held a bridge dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday afternoon.