Are We Prepared For The Nightmare Of A Boise River Flood?

With the seemingly neverending winter we're having, it's easy to have flashbacks to 2017. That was when Boise had to deal with the aftermath of Snowmageddon.

In the winter of 2016-2017, Boise accumulated 39.1 inches of snow. While not the most snow we've ever had in the Treasure Valley, it was more than we'd seen in a long time. The snow melt from the mountains filled Lucky Peak Reservoir and flooded the Boise River in many places in the city. I know of at least one building in Southeast Boise still dealing with the damage from that flooding.

This winter, we have accumulated 31.2 inches of snow in Boise, and most of it has fallen late in the season. The late snowfall has allowed Bogus Basin to remain open longer than ever. It also makes you wonder how all that mountain snow will affect the Boise area as it melts.

Since the flooding in 2017, there have been changes to the Boise Greenbelt to keep the flooding from happening. Unfortunately, we're already seeing flooding at two points along the Greenbelt. The latest issue has closed the Greenbelt at the Parkcenter Bridge.

We don't know what things will look like once more snow melts and finds its way to the Boise River, but it is easy to imagine that flooding will be an issue. The only question is how much of a problem it will become. Another issue that we will definitely be dealing with is a massive invasion of mosquitos that love being near water.

Hopefully, the City of Boise has a plan for flooding. Otherwise, rafts may be more effective than cars in a month or so, and there will be a shortage of Off Mosquito Repellent at Treasure Valley stores.