Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Kyle Anderson, Couger Anderson, and Dayton Public Works Director Ryan Paulson kept the Touchet River moving by clearing debris before it could block the Main Street bridge.
Preston Street Bridge on Saturday midmorning.
Water on Highway 12 by Lewis and Clark Trail Park between Dayton and Waitsburg.
The Touchet River flowing past the Preston Street Bridge in Waitsburg.
Flooding between Dayton and Waitsburg.
Traffic moving through water on Highway 12 between Dayton and Waitsburg.
WAITSBURG - Rain and warmer weather over the weekend of March 14 and 15 caused flooding in Walla Walla and Columbia counties.
In Waitsburg, city workers monitored the Touchet and Coppei rivers as rain and snow melt raised water levels. Waitsburg City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the city reached out early Saturday morning to warn residents in the areas most likely to flood.
Overtopping from the Touchet River surged onto properties east of the Preston Bridge, on Highway 12. Many of the same structures flooded in 2020 were impacted, though damage appears not to have been as severe.
Preston Street Bridge on Saturday midmorning.
Damage from overland flow was not as extensive as in 2020, though increased groundwater did permeate some sewer lines.
Since 2020, the city has worked to repair the levee where it failed. Hinchliffe said those efforts may have reduced overtopping this year, though water still reached across the highway.
Flooding was more extensive in Columbia County and Dayton, damaging structures and pastures. Some people were stranded by washed-out bridges, and animals had to be moved to dry pastures.
Flooding between Dayton and Waitsburg.
Dayton residents and city staff found unique ways to offer help to neighbors. Arcadia Murphey set up a thread on All Things Dayton to connect community members in need with helpers.
Hinchliffe coordinated with Jim Lynch, Walla Walla County Emergency Management, and Waitsburg's mayor and city council members throughout the event to coordinate response efforts. Hinchliffe checked in with city staff in Dayton and property owners outside of town to keep updated on the situation upstream from town.
"It's always unfortunate when people are impacted by these types of events, but I like to think all the work we have done over the years has led to limiting the amount of damage residents experience, as it's not likely we can eliminate it completely," said Hinchliffe.
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