The Olympian
Rocks and Rivers - Repeating Rampages?
As a major victim of 1996 flood the July 9th James Road effort news story to reduce flood hazards warmed my heart, almost.
Dozens of us down stream suffered loss and received no federal financial help. Yet federal dollars are now dumping 15,000 tons of rock, or more, into the same river which caused our damage this year.
Whatever soil was lost along that stretch is still in the river, and now 30,000,000 pounds of rock have been added and the next time the flood will be even higher.
Surely there are other solutions. Should homes be allowed to remain where "the soils along this bend in the river were very unstable, constantly giving way to the pounding of the river?"
Other than following the lead of Los Angeles (where concrete water ways are common) is there really anyway to control a river? Given enough rainfall, given enough runoff, given enough human alteration of the flood plain, the river will claim whatever it wants.
It is time that every effort to protect one section of the river be examined in terms of what can happen to sections downstream. If every neighborhood protects its own, without concern for others, we will certainly invite a disaster worse than the '96 flood perhaps with loss of life as well as property.
From Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Montesano, Elma, Porter, Oakville, Rochester, Littlerock, Tenino, Bucoda, Grand Mound, Centralia, Chehalis, and to PeEll - we all need to work together to solve our common problems.
Sincerely,
Dave Palmer
7475 State Route 12
Oakville, WA 98568
360/273-8117
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