Flood watch continues

HAYDEN - One of Kootenai County's recent steps to ease the flooding around Hayden Lake appears to be working, but officials remain ready to make more changes.

The relief plan set up late last week created an infiltration ditch designed to increase the rate of water drainage into the aquifer. Kootenai County Commissioner Dan Green said the ditch is minimizing damage.

The ditch was built on private property and is set up in the fields below the dam.

The dam itself has suffered erosion and the face is being shored up temporarily in the areas that are eroded most heavily.

Green said if flooding escalates, the county has the option of creating another ditch.

"We're at the mercy of Mother Nature right now, with snowpack at 180 percent above normal in certain areas of the mountain regions," Green said.

Friday, the district commissioner of the Idaho Corps of Engineers visited the flooded site to watch levels.

"The flooding is accelerating this year with the snowfall continuing in the mountains combined with the wet and warmer weather in the lowlands," Green said. "The water flow is more than the lake can handle."

Green said the focus of the corps is to assist with the reconstruction of the dam and to help with the flood fight. He said the dam reconstruction and the flood fight are two separate events, but they are related.

"This is perhaps the worst I've seen in terms of flooding since back to 1996-97 with the ice storms, but we're doing our best to be proactive in our response to mitigate any concerns."

Green is optimistic that the federal government will OK plans for the Army Corps to intervene with help on the dam. The decision should be made within the next two to three weeks.

The county continues to monitor the water flow daily for any changes.