Crop loss from flooding estimated at $4-million
August 10, 2012
While this year's flood was the worst since Libby Dam went in in 1972, it would have been much worse without the dam. In 1949, floodwaters completely surrounded downtown Bonners Ferry.
The Kootenai River basin flooding of 2012 will go down as the worst year since Libby Dam went into operation in 1972, with initial damage from crop loss alone estimated at $4-million, double the losses calculated for the flood of 2006.

And that tally is likely to go higher as additional losses are reported. Making the situation worse, the timing of the flood means that most farmers are unable to replant.

What made this year's flood so bad wasn't only the high water level, said Boundary County Emergency Management incident commander Bob Graham, it was also the length of time the river stayed high.

"We had water 2.6-feet over flood stage," Graham said. "It lasted over 17 days, went down a bit and then went back up. We still have water standing."

The estimate doesn't include the considerable damage done to the county's dikes.

"The dikes took a big hit," Graham said, "especially up north where the back-water from Kootenay Lake formed eddies that just sat there circulating and caused considerable sloughing. It was bad everywhere, but particularly up north."

According to Graham, there have been no damage estimates for the dikes because the Army Corps of Engineers won't help make repairs unless there in infrastructure damage.

"Along most of the dikes," he said, "there is no real infrastructure, so the Corps doesn't get involved. That leaves it to the individual property owners, most of whom have already suffered considerable loss. And if they can afford to make repairs, they have to go through all the permit requirements."

While this year's damage was excessive, some are counting our blessings.

"This year would have been one of the worst floods in history in Bonners Ferry," life-long county resident and former Bonners Ferry Mayor Darrell Kerby posted on Facebook, "thank God for the Libby Dam."

The comment drew some shocked reactions regarding the Army Corps management of the dam, with some saying the Corps could have prevented millions in crop loss had they managed for flood control rather than fish recovery, prompting Kerby to add a caveat; "I did not say anything good about how it was operated, just thanking God it was there. I promise, I have not gone over to the dark side!"

Kerby said he remembers the great effort it took to get the dam built, citing the efforts of many, including Don Howe, Marion and Wally Davidson, Pete Wilson, Dayton Douglas, Don Kerby, Bob Pace, Harold Sims, Aug Baylon and U.S. Senators James McClure and Len Jordan.

Boating to work in downtown Bonners Ferry wasn't all that rare an occurrence before Libby Dam was built. This picture was taken in 1916.
"I was just thinking how terrible it would have been to have to have taken a boat to get to my office this year if the dam had not been there," he wrote. "As bad as the millions of dollars of damage is, and it is really bad, without the dam in place, the damage this year would have been billions."

County commissioners met two weeks ago with people from the several dike districts to discuss damages, and plans are underway for them to meet with Corps personnel from the Seattle District office to review what happened this year and what can be done to prevent such serious flooding in the future.

Meanwhile, Graham encourages everyone who suffered flood damage, be it crop loss or property damage, to report their loss to the Boundary County Natural Resources Conservation Service so that more accurate damage estimates can be derived.

You can contact them at their office, 6813 El Paso Street, Bonners Ferry, or by calling (208) 267-2707.