County declares another road disaster

SANDPOINT — If Bonner County officials had Mother Nature’s ear, they would probably ask of her only one thing: Please change the record.

Another sustained stretch of wet weather prompted county commissioners on Wednesday to declare another road disaster, this time for Denton Road in Hope.

Bob Howard, director of Bonner County Emergency Management, said a rain-swollen Carter Creek, combined with snowpack runoff and saturated soils, caused part the road to fail in the 940 block.

“The volume of water was so large it couldn’t go through the culvert,” said Howard.

“The culvert was overwhelmed and the water created its own path.”

The road failure has not left any residents stranded, although it will slow emergency response times in the event of a fire or medical incident.

The extent of the damage is estimated at about $15,000. Commissioners declared a disaster in order to qualify for relief funding or reimbursement.

Water-over-the-road conditions were also reported on East Spring Creek Road near Clark Fork and on Samuels Road, although those routes remain open.

Officials are also keeping a close eye on Rapid Lighting Creek, which is scouring its namesake road. Howard said the creek has not caused a road failure so far.

The blowout on Denton Road is eerily reminiscent of a failure on Cocolalla Loop Road in March. A creek along the road overran a culvert, causing a massive failure that’s still under repair.

The National Weather Service in Spokane is forecasting rainfall of various amounts through Monday.

“It’s getting old,” Howard said of the wet weather and attendant road damages.