Thursday deluge chokes drain, blocks traffic at Double Bluff

Over two inches of rain fell on South Whidbey over a 36-hour period, according to data from Washington State University’s automated weather station network.

By Evan Thompson • January 22, 2016 6:37 pm
Island County Public Works employees Scott Endres and Kyle Peters create a dike to divert overflowing water on Double Bluff Road. Heavy rain on Thursday caused a catch basin to overflow across the road. One lane of traffic was blocked during the work.
Island County Public Works employees Scott Endres and Kyle Peters create a dike to divert overflowing water on Double Bluff Road. Heavy rain on Thursday caused a catch basin to overflow across the road. One lane of traffic was blocked during the work.

Over two inches of rain fell on South Whidbey over a 36-hour period, according to data from Washington State University’s automated weather station network.

The rain caused storm water to spill over Double Bluff Road and kept Island County Public Works road crews busy Thursday night and Friday morning. Workers discovered that a pipe connecting a private resident’s catch basin to an Island County catch basin was filled with water and choked with debris. Both overflowed from a nearby water collection point and traveled down a hillside onto a resident’s driveway.

Workers used shovels and heavy equipment to create a dike to divert the water. They also cleared out piping using a vactor truck from the City of Oak Harbor. Connie Bowers, assistant county engineer, said crews were working until 2:30 a.m. Friday morning. They resumed efforts early that same day. Traffic was restricted to one lane during the work.

“We had a lot of rain yesterday that really overwhelmed a lot of our systems,” Bowers said Friday morning. “It’s a time-consuming task that doesn’t always go smoothly.” Evan Thompson / The Record | Island County Public Works road crews manage flooding on Double Bluff Road Thursday following heavy rains. One lane of traffic was blocked during the effort.

According to a commissioner at the Freeland Water and Sewer District, Freeland saw about two and a quarter inches of rain.

District commissioner Lou Malzone measured the rain using a gauge at his Freeland home.

“This is probably the most we’ve seen this winter in this period of time,” Malzone said.

The chance of precipitation is low over the next few days but is expected to increase next week starting Tuesday, according to online weather predictions.