News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The longer the Sisters country goes without a warm, heavy rainstorm on our deep snowpack, the less likely the community is to experience serious flooding.
The potential for flooding is coming down, Deschutes County Watermaster Kyle Gorman told Sisters area residents at a city-sponsored flood workshop last week.
The only way it could really flood is (if there are) extremely warm temperatures and extremely high precipitation... at high elevation, he said.
According to Gorman, the deep snowpack is compressing, becoming less susceptible to swift melt-off. He noted that, in 1972, a very similar year in terms of snowpack, the volume of Squaw Creek peaked in June at 400 cubic feet per second and there were no problems whatsoever.
David Cary, Regional Emergency Services Coordinator still recommends that residents in high flood potential areas take some precautions.
He advises keeping a supply of sandbags on hand and finding a source for sand. According to Cary, federal flood insurance is a good idea for floodplain residents.
Surveyor Fred Ast told workshop participants that even some areas that are not on floodplain maps could be subject to flooding. He noted that new construction has created new obstacles that will change the pattern of water dispersement in a flood.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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