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Hood River News Editorial
November 15, 2006
As muddy waters recede, the weight and width of the damage from last
week’s flood are becoming clearer all the time.
In times of high and destructive water, communities (and parts of
communities) run in parallel lines. So it goes with what is emerging
along the Hood River and up the valley.
Consider the inundated Farmers Irrigation canal intake in the photo
above: it almost looks like train tracks buried by water and debris.
The rail tracks have indeed been harmed. The damages to facilities and
equipment owned by Mt. Hood Railroad and irrigation districts in Hood
River County are unique to each business or entity, but they run
parallel in ways more than visual: the consequences are extremely
serious for both the purveyors of orchard water and the Mt. Hood
Railroad.
What connects the districts and the railroad is that they are both
critical parts of the Hood River economy.
What rail officials found this week when the water receded was
silt-covered tracks and rail ground supports that washed away.
At one location, land slid away from under tracks, suspending them in
the air for approximately 150 feet. (See details in Sue Ryan’s report
Floodwater express hits MHRR hard.)
The railroad needs help right away to shore up its tracks. The need is
clear: the business contributes an estimated $5 million to the local
economy and employs up to 70 people.
Meanwhile, a 15-foot-high surge of water and debris ripped away the
infrastructure of Farmers and Middle Fork irrigation districts on Nov.
7.
This puts Farmers at one-third of capacity at its two hydropower
plants, and places serious pressure on its debt service and
operational costs, as reported by RaeLynn Ricarte on page A1. Middle
Fork Irrigation District faces an equally grim scenario with a
complete shutdown of its three facilities. The agency has lost $4,300
of daily revenue that is needed to offset business expenses.
Water, in its provision or in its damaging effects, is a commodity
both valuable and dangerous.
We can look west and see the ways that up to 15 inches of rain in less
than two weeks has wreaked havoc to farms, homes, and highways.
On the other hand, folks in Tillamook, where drastic flooding
occurred, might look east and feel a parallel empathy we feel for
them. |
