Flood anxieties peaked Wednesday evening, but Auburn residents began to breathe easier when the rain stopped falling Thursday morning.
City officials reported no significant problems beyond Mill Creek spilling over onto Peasley Canyon Way at West Valley Highway on Thursday morning and water over several roadways. The Auburn Police Department and the Valley Regional Fire Authority were out monitoring the rivers overnight.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Auburn area shouldn’t experience any significant problems on the Green River beyond minor flooding. But what happens will depend on how much water the Corps releases from the Howard Hanson Dam over the next few days.
The Corps began releasing water into the river at about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday at a rate of 800 cubic feet per second (cfs). By 7 p.m., it had increased that rate to 1,000 cfs. It will continue to do so until the Auburn gauge stands at about 10,000 cfs. With a significant amount of water in the Howard Hanson reservoir and the level rising by 3 feet an hour, the Corps must release the water.
Sarah Miller, emergency operations manager for the City of Auburn, said levels will continue to rise in the Green River because of the release.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if this forced the closure of the Green River Road,” Miller said. “Historically, we have seen issues in the mobile home parks like Rio Verde along the Green if the river runs high. We have just gotten lucky so far. We are managing it. The Corps does a really good job of regulating flow on the Green. If the rain continues, there will be issues. Howard Hanson has a (maximum-control pool elevation) capacity of 1,206 (feet) in the reservoir, and it is up to 1,180.”
Miller said the city would continue to work with the Corps on the amounts of water they plan to release and monitor water levels through the coming days.
The National Weather Service has forecast dry conditions through the weekend.
“The bottom line is things are good at Auburn, but don’t drive through deep water,” Miller said. “We’ve got minor flooding issues, but I don’t think we have any closed roads at this point. There is water on 37th and water at the bottom of Peasley Canyon, and there appears to be a new water hazard at the Auburn Golf Course.
“The dams are fine, and the situation in Pierce County is not as bad as we thought it was going to be,” Miller added. “Our regional concern now is that with the passes closed, I-5 closed and alternate north-south routes closed, nothing is coming in.”
Pacific Mayor Rich Hildreth said as of 3 a.m. Thursday, it appeared that the White River would remain below levels that have caused flooding in the past.
“Rains in the mountains are forecast to slack off this morning and although full, Mud Mountain Dam still appears to have capacity,” Hildreth said. “The Puyallup River, which the White River flows into, along with the Carbon River crested in Orting last night and is slowly going back down. When these levels drop below flood stage, we can expect to see the White River running high for a few days to reduce levels behind the dam.”
The City of Auburn delivered 100 cots and 200 blankets from the King County stockpile to Pierce County. In addition, the city put Pierce County in touch with the Auburn Adventist Academy, which offered to loan them 200 additional cots for another shelter.
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AUBURN UPDATE
Current road closures as of Thursday:
• 37th and Mill Creek: one lane in each direction
• Peasley Canyon Road: one land closed
• West Valley and Peasley: one lane closed
• West Valley closed through all of Pacific
River information:
Water is currently being discharged from Howard Hanson Dam into the Green River. River levels will continue to rise through Monday but will be closely monitored by the Army Corps of Engineers. Auburn’s rivers (Green and White) are controlled by the Engineers. White River volumes are increasing, with flood warnings issued for Buckley.
Other significant area incidents:
• 100 Mountain View Drive: Public Works is monitoring slope movement. The road is open at this time.
• Lea Hill: A private residence has had 15 feet of their backyard slide away, with cracks having now appeared approximately 8 feet from the residence. Engineering and Building Officials are inspecting.
Further questions can be directed to Auburn’s Office of Emergency Management at 253-876-1925 during normal business hours (which may be extended in the event of a disaster). In the case of an emergency, call 911.
