Water water everywhere

In 2011 we have been blessed with just the right amount of water unlike most of the USA. Unlike Minot that had floods at the beginning of the summer, or the east coast which has had a very rainy summer, or the Texas which has not had enough water, we are still enjoying greenery and no water shortages. But all is not rosy.

On the first day of September, I can say that our rivers and lakes are full. In “normal” years, the Snake River is running very low and the two main reservoirs around here are being emptied out to make room for the winter. Right now, I don’t know where that winter water is going to go as there is no room in the reservoirs and the rivers the reservoirs feed are full to the top too.

What I’m showing today however is a picture of the record run-off we had from a local creek earlier in the summer. Normally, this tiny creek is about 8 to 12 inches wide and about 3 to 5 inches deep. Then on the 2nd of July, we had a record snow melt and the river ran over it’s banks and cut channels 12 feet deep. The repair crews are just getting around to fixing the damage. As you can see, the street is still closed; the trees are still down and at the very bottom of the chasm there’s the trickle of water.