The Malheur River in Vale on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 6:30 p.m. was at 21.58 feet, according to the National Water Prediction Center.
“The river will continue to slowly fall, and is forecast to fall below flood stage (19.5 feet) late Saturday morning,” the federal agency noted.
By 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Malheur River in Vale had dropped nearly two feet below what is considered a major flood stage.
•Malheur County Circuit Court
Marilee Aldred, trial court administrator, said the court would close from 8 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Feb. 27, due to potential road closures. The circuit court building will be open from 1 p.m. to noon, according to Aldred.
She said staff will work on setting new times for all canceled hearings. Those scheduled to appear in court between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday can attend court by phone or Webex if requested. Call Aldred at 541-473-5171 for more information.
•Reservoir releases to resume
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it would resume on Thursday releasing water from the reservoirs in the Malheur Basin. The Corps noted that it had stopped releases from the Warm Springs, Agency Valley, and Bully Creek reservoirs last weekend in anticipation of heavy rainfall that, in turn, caused a “high downstream rain-on-snow event.” The purpose of not releasing the additional water was to allow “peak flows” to pass through Vale without worsening flood conditions.
Since then, Malheur River levels have receded to moderate levels. The river is considered at a moderate flood stage at 21 feet at Vale, the press release noted. Officials continue monitoring conditions on the ground in Vale, including floodwater inundating farmland and closing and damaging roads, the press release said.
With water flow receding over the next several days, the press release pointed out that while much of the snow at low elevations melted off, record-setting snowpacks remain upstream of the reservoirs in the Malheur Basin.
“Reservoirs will need to resume releases in anticipation of future snow melt and runoff entering the reservoirs,” the agency said.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Feb. 26, the Owyhee Irrigation District announced that flows into the Owyhee River would increase on Thursday, Feb. 27. The post said it’s unclear by how much. The district said the swift water, dangerous currents and cold temperatures make the river unsafe for recreation and urged people to stay way.
•School closures
Vale School District, which closed its schools, intends on reopening on Thursday, Feb. 27., according to Alisha McBride, the district’s superintendent.
Harper Charter School District also closed on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Officials from the district could not be reached. In a Wednesday, Feb. 26 post on the district’s Facebook page, administrators announced that the school would be closed on Thursday, Feb. 27 and would return on Monday, March 3.
The school in Juntura remains open, according to Dan Pozzi, the board chair.
•County declares an emergency
Malheur County leaders declared an emergency on Wednesday, Feb. 26, requesting state help. The declaration calls on Gov. Tina Kotek to provide from state agencies.
One county concern is a ditch on the south side of U.S. Highway 20/26 between Vale and Cairo Junction that broke Wednesday and is filling a field with water. Once the field is full, the water will spill out onto the roadway, closing the state highway, the county declaration said.
Vicki Moles, a communications representative with the Oregon Department of Transportation, said Wednesday afternoon that crews were working to divert the water to avoid closing U.S. Highway 20/26 between Cairo and Vale. As of 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, she said crews were continuing to monitor conditions.
News tip? Send your information to Steven Mitchell at [email protected].
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