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Accumulated floating debris between the Renton kayak launch and the Boeing 737 factory near the Cedar River delta illustrates how much material came down the Cedar River
Large logs and silt have accumulated at the Cedar River delta as a result of last week’s flooding. The large logs will ultimately need to be dealt with by authorities for the safety of Renton’s seaplane base. While the woody material and sand bar is good for salmon, it attracts seabirds which is undesirable for all airplanes using Renton airport. (In this photo the Cedar River is entering the lake from the left, midway back in the picture.)
In my previous entry on December 9th, I shared the concern that NOAA was predicting a five-foot increase in the water level in the Cedar River in Renton over the next few days (December 9th-12). Their predictions proved fairly accurate, and our city went through an anxious and restless few days as water levels in the river ultimately rose to the bottoms of some of our downtown bridges before finally subsiding.
As an atmospheric river deluged Western Washington and the Cascade foothills, city crews and residents worked to protect our city and others as best they could while Army Corps and Seattle engineers captured as much water as they could in reservoirs on the Cedar River, Green River, Skagit River, and elsewhere.
Thankfully, the rain slowed about when NOAA had predicted, right when Cedar River’s Chester Morse reservoir was topped out at about 10 percent above it’s normal high water mark– a point where no more water could have been sequestered.
During these events many Renton residents (me included) had taken to Facebook and other social media to share real-time information and photos. With this blog entry, I’m bringing this blog up-to-date on these posts.
Authorities are only beginning to assess the damage from this flooding, and I’m sure there has been hardship and property damage that we are not yet aware of. There have been reports on social media that some people in Renton were displaced from their homes at the Riviera Apartments and likely elsewhere. My sincere sympathies are with everyone who has been impacted, and I encourage everyone to report any damage to the city for possible Federal and State assistance.
Even with the new rain we are experiencing, NOAA shows the Cedar River might only touch the “minor” flood stage, about four or five feet lower than last week’s record flood stage.
However, today a new threat to Renton and Tukwila arose when a Green River levee failed near Southcenter mall, causing an emergency evacuation of parts of the valley.
This warning was issued early this afternoon. A warning is still in place but is being scaled back to a smaller area as work continues on the levee.
Current NOAA prediction for Renton shows only the potential for minor flooding on the Cedar River in the near-term foreseeable future
Below the cut I’ve included my Facebook posts from the past week, along with photos of the high water in the Cedar River that crested last Thursday and Friday.
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