Kenmore residents: Battle flooding culvert with no help, sandbags?
KENMORE, Wash. -- With rain in the forecast, people who live along a local stream worry their homes will flood again.
The same residents battled the relentless rain last year by stacking sandbags, but they've encountered a new problem since: the state notified them those sandbags are illegal.
Kenmore owns the culvert that floods local property. But when the culvert runs over and floods homes, the city says, the flooded homes are the homeowners' property.
So homeowners wonder, what are they to do?
"Every year becomes worse and worse," said Jay Arroyo, who fears a replay of last rainy season. "Our fears is that we're going to get flooded again."
Since last year's flood, sandbags have stood guard around the condo complex where Arroyo lives.
"We put these in to protect our property from water going down. Don't know what else to do," he said.
The condo owners are stuck between a stream and a sandbag.
The state says without a permit, the condo owners can't put sandbags within the high water mark of a fish-bearing stream. But locals say the stream hasn't seen any fish in years.
"They'd come every year 'til about '78 or '79 was the last year. Haven't seen any since," said Bobbi McManus.
But the state Department of Fish and Wildife says just because the locals can't seen any fish doesn't mean none are there.
And a stream study could cost $50,000 -- money the homeowners say they don't have. And, they add, permits for sandbagging aren't free, either.
"We're left with financial expenses of solving an issue that is not our fault," said Arroyo.
According to the city, the residents can't place sandbags without a permit, and they can't remove sandbags without permits either.
But fish and wildlife officials say it's not out of the question for residents to obtain permits to protect their property.
The same residents battled the relentless rain last year by stacking sandbags, but they've encountered a new problem since: the state notified them those sandbags are illegal.
Kenmore owns the culvert that floods local property. But when the culvert runs over and floods homes, the city says, the flooded homes are the homeowners' property.
So homeowners wonder, what are they to do?
"Every year becomes worse and worse," said Jay Arroyo, who fears a replay of last rainy season. "Our fears is that we're going to get flooded again."
Since last year's flood, sandbags have stood guard around the condo complex where Arroyo lives.
"We put these in to protect our property from water going down. Don't know what else to do," he said.
The condo owners are stuck between a stream and a sandbag.
The state says without a permit, the condo owners can't put sandbags within the high water mark of a fish-bearing stream. But locals say the stream hasn't seen any fish in years.
"They'd come every year 'til about '78 or '79 was the last year. Haven't seen any since," said Bobbi McManus.
But the state Department of Fish and Wildife says just because the locals can't seen any fish doesn't mean none are there.
And a stream study could cost $50,000 -- money the homeowners say they don't have. And, they add, permits for sandbagging aren't free, either.
"We're left with financial expenses of solving an issue that is not our fault," said Arroyo.
According to the city, the residents can't place sandbags without a permit, and they can't remove sandbags without permits either.
But fish and wildlife officials say it's not out of the question for residents to obtain permits to protect their property.