Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Culverts and storm drains are the subject of attention for county and city crews around Whitman County this week as thoughts of melting snow approach.
Depending on if and when warmer temperatures arrive – and hold – a vast melt-off may occur.
“It’s gonna cause a lot of little problems around the county,” said Bill Tensfeld, director of emergency management. “It should be mainly small stream and lowland flooding.”
Tensfeld is in contact with the National Weather Service on the latest forecasts.
At the same time, varying city crews are clearing culverts and storm drains.
“You’re gonna have a lot of water looking for a place to run,” Tensfeld predicted.
Ultimately, if melting snow has a path to drain, things should be smooth.
The county has 20,000 sandbags in storage in Colfax and a line on a half-million more bags at Justus Bag Company of Spokane.
If the need arose, volunteers would be called on to fill the bags.
“That’s the worst-case scenario,” Tensfeld said.
The County Public Works Department is also getting prepared – with equipment ready in case a road grader needs to cut a ditch, for example.
The National Weather Service did tests in the county Monday in stubble fields to see how much frost is in the ground. Some spots it may be frozen a foot deep while others, such as grassy areas, may have little to no frost.
Palouse is one town taking precautions.
“It’s supposed to warm up,” Mayor Michael Echanove said. “I’ll believe it when I feel it.”
To prepare, the City of Palouse ordered two dump trucks loads of sand and 4,000 sandbags. The first truckload of sand arrived Jan. 12 with the second set to arrive Tuesday.
“We don’t believe anything will happen,” Echanove said. “Just in case. This is Palouse. If it turns out a mountain of sand isn’t needed, we’ll turn it into a beach party fundraiser or something.”
Tensfeld advises homeowners to make sure any storm drains or culverts are clear of snow.
If floodwaters come, other matters may come into play.
“Don’t drive through standing water,” he said. “You don’t know how deep it is. And avoid fast-moving water, its plain power can knock you down.”
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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