County keeping a close eye on flood conditions
Sandbags are being stockpiled locally
SANDPOINT - Warm weather coupled with a storm system moving through the Inland Northwest prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood advisory in Bonner County on Sunday.
The advisory remains in effect until 10 a.m. today.
Temperatures in some areas reached 70 degrees over the weekend and overnight lows were above freezing, which resulted in enhanced snowmelt and runoff into area creeks and streams, the weather service said.
Rises on area waterways are projected to continue today and possibly beyond.
Bob Howard, director of Bonner County Emergency Management, said a number of creeks are starting to overflow, but no road washouts or other problems were reported.
“We're just watching things very closely,” Howard said on Monday.
A number of routes, including East Spring Creek, Upper Pack River and Fish Creek roads, were damaged in flooding events in 2006 and 2007. But Bonner County Road & Bridge Supervisor Chuck Spickelmire said roads around the county are holding up.
“Everything's looking pretty good,” said Spickelmire.
The county's Department of Emergency Management is supplying sandbags to fire districts around the county in case the flooding ensues. Emergency officials will decide when and where the sandbags will be utilized should flood waters become a threat.
Sandbags are being stockpiled at the Coolin-Cavanaugh Bay, Sagle, Samowen, Schweitzer, and West Pend Oreille fire districts. Bonner County Road & Bridge will also help coordinate the delivery of sand to predetermined staging areas in the event of an emergency.
“We're trying to get ahead of this,” said Bob Abbott, a public information officer for Bonner County EMS.
Howard said the county has 20,000 sandbags on hand. There are another 100,000 sandbags at the Albeni Falls Dam east of Oldtown, he added.
In the meantime, officials are hoping the weather dries out and cools off to ease runoff concerns.
“If it doesn't slow down, it's going to get interesting real quick,” said county Commission Chairman Lewis Rich.