Reprinted from the Snoqualmie Valley Record,

December 29, 1966

Plans for the proposed dams on the North and

Middle Forks of the Snoqualmie and a proposal to tie the

flood alert system to the various Valley fire departments’

radio warning systems were discussed at the annual

meeting of the Snoqualmie Valley Flood Warning

Committee held Dec. 20.

Ken Bennett, of Flood Control Division, said

the proposed warning system would involve the use of

an operator and transmitter from the Fall City department.

He suggested that the fire chiefs in the area

provide a list of the types of radios and their monitoring

systems and proposed that the fire departments and flood

control personnel meet to work out the details.

Bruce Forbes, also of Flood Control, said that

the Flood Control Center was besieged by phone calls

during the recent high waters. He said their

switchboard was not equipped to handle this volume and Flood

Control personnel could not give advice on local situations.

Several suggestions were made during discussion

of an adequate information system. One proposal was

to provide a taped recording for a phone number to be

published. Sgt. Jack McDonald of the State Patrol said

a similar system had relieved the Patrol switchboard

of requests for road information.

The committee agreed on the need for further

study on the setting up and implementation of an

information system.

It was noted that a radio warning system might

overload the fire departments’ frequency and telephones,

and the situation in the Carnation-Duvall area was

discussed as it was pointed out that residents there still are

concerned abut the warning system covering the Tolt

Reservoir.

Plans call for a detailed study of the proposed

system.

King County Engineer Warren Gonnason reported that the Snoqualmie River dams, as planned by the

Army Engineers, would eliminate the possibility of

100-year floods above the Falls and would reduce the flood

level below the Falls from three to four feet.

He said the Lower Valley would continue to be

subject to high water because of the tributary streams

such as the Tolt and Raging River.

He pointed out that before further work to

control the runoff in the Lower Valley could be undertaken,

it would be necessary to take measures to handle the

runoff in the lower Snohomish Valley.

He said it was his understanding that Puget

Sound Power & Light Company has power rights on the

normal flow of the North Fork of the Snoqualmie

River and that Water District 97 in Bellevue has made

application for a watershed in that drainage.

Also present at the meeting were Fred Hayes of Weyerhaeuser Co., chairman; Robert A.

Hansen, Snoqualmie Falls; Chet Bluher, Fall City Fire

Chief; Gordon Weller, North Bend Fire Chief; Martin

Fringer, Snoqualmie Fire Chief; Lewis Young, Puget

Sound Power; Ken Schmidt, Carnation Fire Chief; Dave

Harder, Duvall Fire Chief; Don Mueller, Civil Defense;

Gordon McIntire, District 410 Superintendent; W.B. Gillespie, Flood Control; Chesley Funk, Duvall;

H.I. Dovenberg and Rogers Firth, Weyerhaeuser Co.

The meeting was originally scheduled for Dec. 13

_ the week’s delay was due to high water!