GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic The dike between the Naches River and Yakima's water treatment plant on Highway 12 was reinforced with boulders on Monday, May 19 as a precaution against rising river levels. Links   E-mail             Print            Advertisement

The flood-swollen Naches and Yakima rivers are beginning to recede, but their waters will continue to run high, fast and dangerously cold into the foreseeable future.

"This is not a river that you should be swimming in or rafting in without the proper training and equipment," said Jim Hall, director of the Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management. "Just don't go there."

Among those watching the rivers are officials with the Yakima Greenway Foundation, which is preparing for its annual Gap2Gap race on May 31.

In its 23-year history, the race's river leg has been canceled only once, about a decade ago, said Al Brown, foundation executive director.

With more than a week and a half to go, he said a decision won't be made until much closer to the event.

Nevertheless, he said organizers would not hesitate to cancel the race's water leg if the water is too high.

"If we're at flood levels, it's not safe," he said. "It might not even be safe below flood levels. There's just a point where it's too high to run the race."

Normally, the water leg of the race, which also includes running and biking, involves padding kayaks or canoes from near Harrison Road north of Selah to Terrace Heights.

Brown said flooding is not unexpected at this time of year and that warning signs have been set up where high water has covered a few sections of the Greenway's path, which generally parallels the Naches and Yakima rivers on the outskirts of town. Erosion from such flooding is usually minimal, he added.

In addition to the Greenway path, several county roads were inundated. But no significant damage was reported over the weekend when a handful of homes were threatened, particularly in the Nile and Cliffdell areas.

Closer to Yakima, crews made emergency repairs Monday to the dike that protects the city's water treatment plant from the Naches River along Highway 12 west of Yakima.

Cooler daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s are forecast for the next several days -- considerably lower than Saturday's record 98 degrees in Yakima. The warm weather had a predictable effect on snow in the Cascades, causing the Naches River to crest sometime around noon Sunday at 1.25 feet above flood level. It has since steadily dropped toward its 17-foot flood stage.

Even so, a flood warning in the Naches River area remains in effect until Wednesday.

The Yakima River, meanwhile, was expected to crest Monday night and begin a gradual decline.

The flooding never reached the extreme stages that authorities initially predicted, and most of the feared damage from the flooding never materialized. But not everyone heard or heeded warnings to stay off the rivers.

On Sunday, three 20-somethings set off on the Yakima River in a raft that a rafter's family member said retails for $39.99. They had no life jackets.

The trio barely made it 200 yards before the raft capsized. Rescuers were astounded that nobody drowned.

* Chris Bristol can be reached at 577-7748 or cbristol@yakimaherald.com.