Authorities have closed the Pend Oreille River in northeastern Washington to all activities for now, due to high waters that could continue to rise later this weekend.
Though the level of the Pend Oreille River has stabilized for the last couple of days, warmer weather later in the weekend may change that. JoAnn Boggs, the county’s deputy director for emergency management, says that could make an already dangerous river even more lethal.
“If you stand and watch that river, you will see something one minute; the next minute, it’s gone. It’s great big logs and we’re seeing propane tanks and all kinds of things that have floated off peoples’ banks," Boggs sasid. "We’re just doing it to protect our citizens and protect the folks that are visiting our county.”
Boggs says three county roads are still closed due to water over the pavement and the water is seeping into places it shouldn’t.
“We’ve got a lot of folks with their septic systems under water and those type of things. So it’s not only a safety issue, it’s a health issue as well,” she said.
A boil water alert is still in effect for two water systems that serve subdivisions.