The Willamette River in Harrisburg, Corvallis and Albany has risen to or above flood stage, and is expected to fall below flood stage by Thursday. LANE COUNTY, Ore. — Flood warnings remain in effect Thursday for rivers affecting Benton, Lane, Linn counties, and Highway 34 has been shut down in Corvallis because of flooding. Here's a look at the specific rivers mentioned in the latest flood warning: Willamette River at Corvallis affecting Benton and Linn counties Willamette River at Albany affecting Benton and Linn counties Tap here for a weather service interactive map of current river levels. The Willamette River at Corvallis was at 31.1 feet at 8 a.m. Thursday, 1.1 feet above flood level. The river crested near 33 feet in the area at 9 a.m. Wednesday. There has been extensive flooding in low-lying agricultural land east and south of Corvallis and numerous roads in and near the Corvallis area. Highway 34 has been shut down at the Highway 20 intersection because of flooding. ODOT is detouring all traffic until the water recedes. The Willamette River at Albany was at 26.8 feet at 8 a.m. Thursday, 1.8 feet above flood stage. The river crested at 27.3 feet around 11 p.m. Wednesday and will fall below flood stage by 4 a.m. Friday. Expect flooding in Bryant Park, South Albany, and in low-lying agricultural land and some roads near the river. Flooding in Lane County Lane County may be dealing with the worst of the flooding. The coastal fork of the Willamette River spilled over its banks Monday, prompting Level 3 (Go) evacuations. Residents of the Riverstone mobile home park in Cottage Grove and people living in the floodplain of the Willamette and Row rivers were forced to leave their homes. The Army Corps of Engineers caused some of the problems in Lane County by releasing water from a dam system east of Cottage Grove. Officials said the Dorena Reservoir was overwhelmed by the rainfall totals and if the reservoir overflows, it could cause even more damage. Longtime residents told KGW they haven't seen flooding like this since 1996. On Monday, firefighters had to use a boat to save two people and a cat from an RV that was surrounded by water. For more information, visit lanecounty.org. Highway 58 reopened after landslide The heavy rains also caused a landslide on Highway 58, east of Oakridge, the same areas devastated by February's snowstorm. Crews reopened the highway on Tuesday. Flooding began Sunday On Sunday, in Estacada at Milo McIver State Park, the Clackamas River was just a little more than a foot from flood level and moving fast. "It's freaking me out a little bit," Linda Barnett said. KGW caught up with Barnett at Carver Park in Oregon City where the boat ramp area was already flooded Sunday afternoon. "This is the highest I've ever seen it, ever, and I've seen a few floods here," Barnett said. From what she saw, she said it did not take long to get like this. "It's going up really fast," Barnett said. "Just in four hours, it's gone up probably two or three feet, so I'm kind of worried since I live right by the river." On Sunday in Junction City, people were also preparing for possible flooding. One rancher moved all of his horses just to be safe. "Got all the equipment out and got horses out this morning, 25 horses moved within a couple hours this morning," Rolling H Ranch Owner Matt Hogan said. In Lebanon, people could not move fast enough. Firefighters there had to do two water rescues Sunday. Lebanon Fire District Battalion Chief Nick Tyler said firefighters had to rescue two people and a dog. Crews think they were homeless and camping near Gill's Landing on the South Santiam River. "The water had risen from the campsite and cut them off, basically put them on an island, and they were just trapped on this little island," Tyler said. Crews had to use ropes and a raft to save one man and a jet ski with a rescue sled to save the other man and his dog. "I was driving in to work today and I had seen some water shooting out of a manhole cover, you know, in the roadway, and I was kind of thinking back, the last time I saw that was in 96, when we had the flood back then," Tyler said. "So, I kind of had that feeling coming to work that we were going to have some issues. I didn’t think we would have to be crossing the river in the jet sled to go rescue people off an island, but you never know." That was not the only problem in the area though. Waterloo Campground was evacuated because of flooding on Sunday.<doc-sep>This story has been updated. Here's the latest on flooding in Salem. LATEST:Willamette River reaches projected high point, begins dropping, as Salem roads, parks remain closed —— ORIGINAL STORY The Willamette River is projected to reach its highest level in Salem since 2012 on late Thursday and into Friday, bringing flooding to parks and roads but generally avoiding widespread damage. The National Weather Service expects the Willamette to crest at 27.350 feet in mid-morning, up from 11 feet on Friday following a surge fueled by heavy rain and snowmelt over the weekend. Salem is expected to avoid the more widespread damage experienced in the Eugene area, but many low-lying roadways and parks will be closed. The Willamette Valley and surrounding mountains were slammed by a rare spring atmospheric river that brought 3 to 8 inches of rain to the region and also melted some mountain snow. “All of that rain and snowmelt eventually comes down into the Willamette, and then reaches Salem,” National Weather Service meteorologist Will Ahue said. “That what accounts for this rise — all of that water is finally reaching Salem.” Impacts were far greater across Eugene and Southern Oregon, which were hit by flooding and landslides. How does this compare to past floods? Assuming the Willamette does hit 27 feet on Thursday, it would mark the highest water level in the city in seven years. That would stand out, but compared to past flooding events it’s small potatoes. During the 2012 flood, the Willamette River reached 29.42 feet and created a much greater impact. And the 1996 flood — the biggest event in the past half-century — brought the Willamette to 35.09 feet. A look back:How does this high water compare to past floods? “This is a pretty big event,” Ahue said. “But it’s nothing like 1996.” The current system brought 3 to 5 inches of rain to the Willamette Valley and 4 to 9 inches to the surrounding mountains in 72 hours, NWS reports. The February 1996 flood, by contrast, brought 8 to 9 inches to the Willamette Valley and a whopping 13 to 23 inches of rain to surrounding mountains in a few days. There was also far more low-elevation snow in 1996 that, combined with frozen ground and record-setting rain, allowed rivers to reach historic levels. This year's snowpack melt was more limited, and the ground soaked up plenty of water, said Ahue. "We had some snowpack melt, but again, nothing like 1996," Ahue said. He noted that Willamette Basin snowpack remains 100 percent of normal, meaning an epic melt-off didn't occur. More:Memories of the 1996 flood: 'There was so much water, everywhere you looked' (Story continues below.) Was this rare? What did make this storm rare was the time of year. The vast majority of atmospheric rivers — systems of tropical moisture — reach Oregon between December and February, not in April. The lateness of the storm contributed to some of the flooding — especially in Eugene and Southern Oregon. Many reservoirs were being refilled and not as empty as they remain during winter. That led to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releasing water from some reservoirs to ensure they didn’t overflow, which led to some downstream flooding near Goshen, Monroe and Jefferson. “This was an unusual event,” said Erik Petersen, Willamette Valley Project operations project manager for the Army Corps. “It would be pretty normal in winter, but in spring it’s rare, and the forecast changed pretty quickly. We saw forecasts of 2 to 4 inches, and that jumped to 4 to 8 inches pretty quick.” Landslides:Oregon landslide alert issued alongside weather watches for flooding A look back: Notable floods in Salem since 1900 Flooding disrupts homeless camp Flooding submerged part of a Wallace Marine Park-area homeless camp, with tents and other possessions caught in the water. Near one flooded area, Sara Powell, who indicated she doesn't live in the camp anymore, said whenever problems like this happen, "we all come together and we all help each other." One of the biggest concerns was saving their bikes, a main mode of transportation for the homeless and a way to make money. "Everybody's trying to get their bikes and just their belongings, as much as they can get," Powell said. Art Scaglione, who used to work in construction and has been helping the homeless at Wallace Marine Park for more than four years, pointed out that bikes are an industry, accounting for some 70% or 80% of trade out there. "They'll build bikes and sell them," he said. Powell said many people have valuables that might just be important to them: "It actually brings me to tears." "We need help," Powell said. "People are losing everything they own." Not everyone at the camp lost belongings in the flooding. But everyone was affected, according to Christopher Wollertsen. "Everybody's on edge right now," he said. "The stress level's through the roof." Marion County road, park closures The rising river levels prompted the closure of several area parks and roads in lower and flood-prone areas. On Monday, the city of Salem closed three parks: Wallace Marine Park at 200 Glenn Creek Road NW Minto-Brown Island Park at 2100 Minto Island Road SE West Salem Park at 265 Rosemont Avenue NW As of Wednesday afternoon, Marion County listed several road closures, as well as the suspension of service on both the Buena Vista and Wheatland ferries: 4th Ave N​ from Trout St N to ​Salmon St N​ Buena Vista S from Talbot Road S to Gilmore Road S Elliott Prairie Road from Wilco Highway NE to county line Gilmour Road S from Buena Vista Road to Talbot Road S Hazelgreen Road from Brush Creek Road to Torvend Road NE Monitor-Mckee Road NE from Miller Road NE to Baron Road NE River Road South at the flood gates east of the Independence Bridge Riverside Road S from Skyline Road S to River Road S Talbot Road S from Buena Vista S to Gilmore Road S Waypark Drive NE from Howell Prairie Road to 114th Avenue NE Hazardous road conditions can be reported to public works agencies: Salem: 503-588-6311 Marion County: 503-588-5304 Polk County: 503-623-9287 Continued evacuations near Eugene About 500 residents in Lane County continued to be evacuated from their homes Tuesday. Evacuation levels were originally raised Sunday night and Monday for areas along the Coast Fork of the Willamette and Row rivers. Lane County:Evacuations continue near Eugene after Willamette, Row river flooding Highway 58:One lane expected to open today west of Oakridge following landslide Sandbags available City staff have opened the following sandbag locations, but ask that people bring their own shovels: City of Salem Public Works – 1410 20th St. SE West Salem Park & Ride - Wallace Road Lowe’s - 1930 Turner Road SE Courthouse Fitness – Commercial St. SE Additional road closure and stream conditions can be found on the city's website at CityofSalem.net/flooding. Jonathan Bach of the Statesman Journal contributed to this report. David Davis is a reporter at the Statesman Journal. Contact him at dtdavis@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6897 or follow on Twitter @DavidDavisSJ Support local journalism by subscribing to the Statesman Journal.<doc-sep>
Heavy rain across northwest Oregon has brought flooding to multiple rivers and spurred evacuations in some parts of the state. Rainfall totals that ranged from three to six inches in 48 hours brought numerous rivers and creeks up to their banks, particularly in the southern and central Willamette Valley. The heaviest flooding is occurring in the Eugene area, where evacuation orders were issued Sunday night. But the Willamette River is also projected to reach flood stage in Albany and come close in Salem, even as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attempts to hold back a combination of rainfall and snowmelt. The Santiam River in Jefferson is also near flood levels. "We are managing flows in a way to protect the downstream public from flood to the extent we are able,” said Ross Hiner, Portland District Dam Safety Program Manager. "However, inflows are so high that we are having to increase our releases to minimize the overall flooding risk.” It’s the biggest flooding event in Western Oregon during April since 2012. Salem prepares for worst More localized flooding from Mill and Pringle creeks was reported over the weekend, with water spilling into basements and causing problems on roadways. With Willamette River levels expected to continue to rise until early Wednesday, city officials decided to close city parks in low-lying areas prone to flooding as a precaution: Wallace Marine Park at 200 Glenn Creek Road NW Minto-Brown Island Park at 2100 Minto Island Road SE West Salem Park at 265 Rosemont Avenue NW Most Salem area stream gauges showed levels below high water watch as of Monday afternoon. River Road South near the Independence Bridge remains open, however the county may move to close the road at high water gates if river levels rise to 23 feet. Homestead Road South and Brown Island Road were anticipated to close Monday or Tuesday as water levels rise. Service by both the Buena Vista and Wheatland ferries was halted Sunday and will continue to be shutdown until Willamette River levels drop below 15 feet. City staff have opened the following sandbag locations, but ask that people bring their own shovels: City of Salem Public Works – 1410 20th St. SE West Salem Park & Ride - Wallace Road Lowe’s - 1930 Turner Road SE Courthouse Fitness – Commercial St. SE Additional road closure and stream conditions can be found on the city's website at CityofSalem.net/flooding. Hazardous road conditions can be reported to public works agencies: City officials also announced a sewage overflow of about 50 gallons of raw sewage into Mill Creek in the 200 block of 25th Street on Sunday. Officials say the overflow was caused by a blockage in the pipe. High levels on the Willamette, Santiam In the central Willamette Valley, the biggest concern is centered on the Willamette and Santiam rivers. The Willamette River is expected to rise to flood stage in Albany by Tuesday, cresting at 27.39 feet while downstream in Salem, the river is projected to come just short of flood stage Wednesday at 26.3 feet. A flood warning was issued for the Jefferson area after Santiam River levels rose above "minor flood stage" early Monday afternoon. Rising river levels prompted Albany officials to close Bryant Park, a public park near the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette rivers. (Story continues below.) Evacuations in Lane County Emergency releases from Dorena Reservoir spurred evacuation notices for the Row River and Coast Fork Willamette River floodplains, according to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. "Danger to your area is current or imminent and you should evacuate immediately," the Sheriff’s office said in a news release. The US Army Corps of Engineers notified Lane County Emergency Management that "water is being released from Dorena Reservoir at historic rates to avoid reservoir overflow." The Mohawk River is also in minor flood stage. Highway closures:Hwy 58 closed west of Oakridge following landslide, Highway 38 near Elkton one lane A landslide closed Highway 58 west of Oakridge Sunday evening and was expected to stay closed while crews cleared the debris Monday. Landslides, flooding in southern Oregon A tally of closed roads mounted over the weekend in Curry County as both high water and landslides reportedly made for difficult travel in the southwest corner of the state. Severe flooding was reported along the Chetco River near Brookings and further inland prompting concerns about flooding homes in the tidal zone.