Seward, Alaska
A big storm rolled in on Wednesday evening starting with 1.5” of rain and a flood watch advisory. The sky hoses really opened up by the next afternoon accompanied by strong south winds with gusts to 33 mph. 3.65” of rain fell by evening. The deluge on the nearby mountains surged down the short watershed, overflowing and gouging the riverbanks.
Lowell Creek became a raging brown beast, gorged on stolen sand, gravel and rocks. All day and night, the heavy equipment operators labored to remove the load thundering over the waterfall. Rocks bounced as they hit the basin.
As the tide ebbed, the bulldozers and excavators followed it out, carving channels to improve flow, and pushed gravel into deeper water. Other excavators scooped out the basin below the fall and bulldozers pushed it away in a synchronous dance.
According to Seward Public Works, flow rates jumped from a normal 40 cubic feet per second to a peak of 479 cfs late Thursday night. The gravel and water quickly rose within 1 1/2 feet of the bridge beams under the little bridge connecting Seward to the Lowell Point community, the only land access. The machines toiled, their operators working past the point of exhaustion.
Fortunately, by Friday afternoon the storm passed, the wind sighed, and the sun rolled out into a blue sky as if nothing had happened. The waterfall, shed of its load and no longer angry, turned white again. The bridge was intact.
The mounds of gravel surrounding the rerouted creek channel and the giant piles stashed along the roadside and spilled over onto the beach stand in mute testimony of the drama.
Cheers!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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