Heavy rain over the weekend and melting snow in the north raised the Columbia River from its normal bank at 12 feet to about 16 feet, prompting the local National Weather Service to issue flood warnings this week for parks and trails in Clark and Multnomah counties. The warning is valid until Wednesday. From Sauvie Island to Government Island and Vancouver Lake to the Sandy River Delta, local parks face uneven water levels that reach the ground. Portland Parks & Recreation announced Sunday that it will temporarily close the Eastbank Esplanade and its popular trail north of the Morrison Bridge to south of the Steel Bridge due to flooding. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the Willamette River also reached 16 feet Monday morning, 6 inches above the limit for closing access to the Esplanade. Columbia support pushing water at Willamette has elevated the waterway, making it difficult to cross the corner crossings, Portland Parks & Recreation said in a press release. Rising water covered the Vancouver Waterfront Renaissance Trail on Sunday, blocking part of the trail as the Columbia River slid toward the last time Vancouver saw a historic 16.8-foot high in 1997. The good news, said National Meteorological Service hydrologist Andy Bryant, was that the rains provided a “large” supply of water in the area and could delay concerns about the timing of the fires. The bad news is that heavy inches of rain and lack of sunshine can be detrimental to summer farming in Oregon and southwestern Washington. The vineyards in the Willamette Valley have already suffered from a few frosty nights in April. Now, other home-grown crops and small farms – such as tomatoes, peppers and squash – may find it difficult to grow during the dry season. Rainfall is expected to decrease this week as the atmospheric river of subtropical humidity, which brought nearly 2 inches of rain in some areas of the Portland area, finally falls. Thunderstorms are forecast for Thursday and Friday, but “will be nowhere near the large mass of water we saw over the weekend,” Bryant said. In other good news, the city’s Office of Environmental Services said the weekend storm did not cause local water quality problems because of the Big Pipe – a two-decade project that significantly reduced sewer overflows in the Willamette River and Columbia Shell. Johnson Creek Watershed, another historically flood-prone area, also remained strong with no problems. – Savannah Eadens; [email protected]; 503-221-6651; @savannaheadens
