Prepare for Heavy Rainfall and High Water

Hillsboro, OR — December 29, 2005 — The National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch on Thursday morning for Northwest Oregon extending through Saturday morning. The wet weather system may cause localized flooding problems as streams and rivers rise, roadside ditches swell with runoff and the drainage system is inundated with unusually heavy rains.

Clean Water Services has dispatched crews throughout its service area to inspect known problem areas and ensure the public drainage system is operating properly and clear of debris from Wednesday’s storm.

In anticipation of heavy rainfall, the public can take preventative steps to help protect against flooding and lessen damage caused by high water.

1. Get leaves, debris and garbage out of the street and off stormwater catch basins.
2. Make sure your gutters and downspouts are clear.
3. Keep yard debris and leaf piles away from drainage ditches and streams so that rising water does not carry the material downstream and block a culvert.
4. If sand is needed, self-serve sand depots in Washington County are listed below. Bring a shovel and bags. The sand is for flood prevention only. 24-hour sandbagging stations are located at:

City of Beaverton, 9600 SW Allen Boulevard (503) 526-2220
Clean Water Services Field Operations, 2025 SW Merlo
Court, Beaverton (503) 547-8100
City of Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, 1919 Ash St. (503) 992-3240
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, 20665 SW Blanton, Aloha (503) 649-8577
Washington County Fire District #2, Midway Fire Station 15200 SW Midway, (503)628-1080
Banks Fire District #13, Sunset Park (South end of town) (503) 324-6262

Additional self-serve sand bagging sites will be opened as needed. Please call to confirm hours.

City of Hillsboro - NE 28th at Sports Complex (503) 615-6590
City of Tualatin - 10699 SW Herman (503) 692-2000
City of Cornelius - 1300 South Kodiak Circle (503) 357-3011
City of North Plains – 32150 SW Commercial (503) 647-5555
City of Tigard – 8777 Burnham Rd. across from Tigard Water District office (503) 639-4171

Wednesday’s storm dumped nearly 1.5 inches of rain in 24 hours across Washington County, swelling streams, the Tualatin River and the local drainage system. Discharge from Fanno Creek measured at Durham peaked at nearly 1000 cubic feet per second (cfs) in the early morning hours Wednesday. Flow at 12:45 p.m. Thursday had dropped to 181 cfs. Median flow for Fanno at Durham on December 28 is 70 cfs. The Tualatin River, Beaverton Creek and Rock Creek experienced similar spikes in flow following Wednesday’s heavy rains.

Clean Water Services is water resource management utility for more than 480,000 people in urban Washington County and small portions of Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Lake Oswego, and Portland. Clean Water Services operates four wastewater treatment facilities, constructs and maintains flood management and water quality projects, and manages flow in the Tualatin River to improve water quality and protect fish habitat. Although Clean Water Services maintains a close working relationship with Washington County government, it is a separately managed and financed public utility.

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