Kootenai River nears flood stage - again
<p>Recent rains have caused flooding at the confluence of the Kootenai River and Deep Creek.</p>
BONNERS FERRY — The Kootenai River is within inches of exceeding flood level, Boundary County incident commander Bob Graham said Wednesday.
The river was at 63.71 at 10 a.m., with flood stage being 64.0, he said.
Area farmers have been using pumps to keep surface water out of their fields because of sustained high water, Graham said.
Several county roads have been closed because of water over the roadways, while water has covered an access road to a house near the Kootenai Wildlife Refuge.
At this point “it’s a wait and see” situation and people should “hope it stops raining,” Graham said.
The weather forecast calls for rain showers through Tuesday, followed by warmer weather and sunny skies.
Boundary County has received 2.23 inches of rain in June, compared to 1.54 inches of precipitation the month before.
Average rainfall in June is 1.68 inches, while the May average is 1.76 inches.
The Moyie River is well below flood stage at 7.49 feet; flood stage is 9 feet.
Editor’s note: Linda Johnson contributed to this story.