tms wrote:
Hey Folks,
Don't be unduly alarmed, what Dennis forgot to tell you is that this is an annual occurrence.
Cheers,
Tom
Not quite, Tom. Not quite annual, but frequent none the less.
The last time the Skagit spilled her banks was maybe 8 years ago or so, can't remember exactly, but it was far worse than this. In the ensuing years we've had high water but no flooding. At least not in the valley here where I am.
As someone who works in the hydrology sector (kinda) perhaps you could comment on what a few people have told me about the Skagit - mainly that the Corps of Engineers (or some Gov't agency) has declared it, the Skagit, to be a 'wild' river. Meaning there are no dams on it. Which you and I know isn't the case, of course but it sure changes the situation when it comes to getting, or trying to get flood insurance.
Also, since it's now considered 'wild' the Corps no longer dredges it. In years past, paddle boats used to run up the river quite a ways beyond Sedro-Woolley, in fact. Since it's no longer dredged, I've heard reports that there is probably as much as 12' of siltation in the the river bed between Sedro-Woolley and where it empties into Puget Sound.
What few people seem to appreciate is the fact that the floods that occurred naturally before the non-existant dams were built are what produced some of the richest and most productive farm lands this side of the Cascade Mountains.
As far as I know, Reeliron, few if any people suffered any really severe flood damage this time around.