High May Streamflow Conditions in WA
During May, there were numerous fatal accidents on WA Rivers that made headlines, along with a remarkable rescue. Two children died on the Chehalis River in separate incidents and an Everett City Councilman died on the Green River in a rafting accident. Another incident that could have had a similarly tragic ending occurred on the Wallace River, where a 13-year old boy was rescued from the river before plummeting over a 265-ft waterfall.
The likelihood of these types of accidents is increased through a combination of warm temperatures luring people out for recreational water activities and the cold, fast-flowing rivers carrying snowmelt, exactly the conditions that were present during this past month. The higher springtime flows make it easier to find trouble in terms of getting caught in fast currents. In addition, high streamflow tends to be associated with colder water temperatures, making hypothermia a real risk on rivers at this time of year.
While the state’s rivers (and lakes) are a threat every spring, the conditions during May 2012 were primed for these tragedies. Figure 1 shows the average streamflow during May 2012 compared to historical May streamflows. The monthly average streamflow was higher than normal throughout most of the state, especially in the southern Puget Sound and southwest WA where streamflow was much above normal. The number of river accidents during May 2012 appears to be greater than other years in recent memory, and this is likely due to a combination of the river and weather conditions with some chance thrown in. Figure 2 shows examples of average streamflow during May for the past nine years. Last year, for example, also had high streamflow, but this was mostly due to heavy May rain that caused river flooding. The warm conditions weren’t there to bring lots of people out for recreation on the rivers.
Other years had May conditions with normal or below normal flows, such as 2003 and 2007, resulting in less dangerous rivers during the month. On the other hand, 2008 was more similar to 2012 with above normal streamflow from snowmelt, and even some May flooding, which presumably increased the risk of accidents on the rivers.
It is important to be cognizant of safe practices on our rivers, no matter the streamflow or time of year. There are a variety of resources on the web to help become familiar with river safety. A good place to start is with the King County River Safety Public Health page, https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/safety-injury-prevention/water-safety, which has links to more information.