Flooding concerns rise with meltoff
<p>Jake Roletto watches an excavator clear out an area of Hayden Lake Road that washed out Thursday after a natural spring under the roadway caused the soil to wash away. The road is anticipated to be closed until mid-next week when work is completed.</p>
<p>Water surges over the spillway at the Hayden Lake dike road after storm water caused the lake level to rise Thursday.</p>
HAYDEN - Rising water has Kootenai County officials calling in help to be sure a dam on the southwest side of Hayden Lake is solid.
With water lapping at the earthen dam, the Army Corps of Engineers is planning to do some reinforcement work "to ensure the integrity of the structure."
No structures are threatened but county commissioners said they are "trying to be proactive and prevent potential future property damage."
Heavy rains that saturated grounds washed out a section about five miles in on Hayden Lake Road on Wednesday. The road, which had a natural spring underneath it, will be closed until the collapse can be repaired next week.
"The good thing is there are no utilities under the roadway with the exception of a phone line and there's an alternative route for people to get to and from their homes," said Eric Shanley, district engineer with Lakes Highway District
The top of the dam, in an area referred to as "Hayden Dike Road," was closed to public access Thursday.
County commissioners will also be passing a resolution that creates a temporary no-wake zone in the area of Honeysuckle Bay near the dam.
Officials said that warmer, wetter weather is melting more of the snowpack, and causing local water levels to rise.
The Coeur d'Alene River at Cataldo is projected to crest between 38.5 and 39 feet next week. This is still more than 4 feet below flood stage.