Flood Cleanup in Ellensburg

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Story Published: Jan 8, 2009 at 6:53 PM PDT

By Melissa Wagner

A few homes in kittitas county are still underwater, while many others are showing signs of what the waters left behind. " It breached the road up above us, came down through the pasture and the yard. Where we're standing there was probably 10 inches of water here, " says Jack McQuade, an Ellensburg homeowner.

The water is receding now, but you can see the damage it's done all over Ellensburg including destruction to highway 97. It also knocked out a bridge on a nearby county road. Highway 97 was closed most of the day as crews worked to fix the problem and get traffic moving again.
They tackled the road as well as redirected the flow of the water. Jim Henderson with the Washington Department of Transportation says
" We're putting the creek back into its channel. High water jumped the channel and it's been running down US 97 for about a mile."

Which takes it right into Jack's pasture and yard. Jack says, "Once the water jumps this side of the highway, we get flooded off. I'd like to see them fix their highway up there so it won't happen again. They have a culvert up there that plugs up all the time."

The Washington Department of Transportation says it is aware there is a reaccuring problem here, and hopes to take care of it once and for all. But for now, it's just a temporary fix. "Maybe this time they'll spend a little money and get that fixed," said McQuade.

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