Clallam County: Flood control to cross property lines

Clallam County: Flood Control to cross property lines

By Jim Manders, Peninsula Daily News 3/12/02

SEQUIM---A River Road woman who wants the channel to Kinkade Creek closed to stop flooding was satisfied with a City Council decision Monday night allowing the county and/or state to use its property during flood control work.

“As long as it’s fixed, I don’t care who does it,” said Diane Hood, after the council voted to allow access to its property.

Hood and 22 neighbors petitioned the council Monday to add root balls and woody material to a logjam on the south side of Kinkade Island.

Hood’s petition claims that 66 percent of the Dungeness River flowed through Kinkade Creek after part of the logjam was opened. One house on Kinkade Island washed away and others off the island in the same area were threatened by floodwaters in January.

Hood said the root balls and woody materials should be anchored with cables and rocks to keep them in place in the jam. She said she believes closing the logjam will force the river back into its channel on the west side of Kinkade Island and restore fish habitat there.

“Those fish beds are dried up now,” Hood said.

County officials have said they will apply for federal funding to purchase property endangered by the river.

Petition to the City of Sequim signed by river owners follows:

City of Sequim:

On 2/22/02, Jim Bay was advised of the potential flooding problem caused by the new channel, located on property which the city owns on the east side of Kinkade Island which is diverting over 60% of the Dungeness River into Kinkade Creek.

Chris Byrnes of The Department of Fish and Wildlife stated that he will issue a permit to the City of Sequim to cable woody debris and root balls across the channel to create a log jam. He thinks the city should act as soon as possible before more flooding occurs which would increase the cost and the amount of work to be done.

We, the homeowners, near Kinkade Creek, would like the City of Sequim to close the channel as soon as possible before more loss is incurred.

In addition to the present loss by homeowners, River Road itself is in danger of flooding if the situation is not remedied.

The city will also incur additional expenses if they lose access to their pump house, city chlorination, water line and access road to the irrigation canal and head gate, which Steve Gaither of Highland Irrigation had to use after the recent flood to make major repairs.

If the City of Sequim takes no action, after being made aware of the dangerous situation and the homeowners incur additional losses due to future flooding, the homeowners effected will file a lawsuit against the City of Sequim for gross negligence.

Signed by Diane Hood and other river owners/tenants.

Clallam County's report on removal of the dikes near Kinkade Island