Comments on: Boise Council Knows Better Than Fed Experts

By: Chet

Chet — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 01:17:21 +0000

They needed to redraw the lines to increase the base of people paying into the flood insurance fund. Floods from the past several years have depleated the fund.

By: bikeboy

bikeboy — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 22:02:58 +0000

Interesting article! And, it’s curious that Boise is jumping in – looks like the vast majority of affected acreage is west of the Boise city limits. (Although I’m sure Team Dave DREAMS of the day when it’s all part of Boise!)

I’ve been around to personally observe almost two-thirds of those hundred years. Some notes for the newbies:

1) Lucky Peak Dam has NEVER breached! (And is unlikely to.) But the Army Corps of Engineers WILL release a lot of water if need be… that’s why it has never breached.

2) The trend recently is for lower-than-average precipitation, and thus relatively low river flows, even in the springtime. However, even if you’ve lived here for only a few years, you should recall stretches of the Greenbelt underwater and folks in their McMansions downstream getting agitated as water rose into their backyards.

I know a guy who used to live in a tiny house on Eagle Island – almost every year he bermed-and-tarped around his house to keep the river out, and had 2-by-12 walkways so his irrigation boots wouldn’t get too wet. Some developer bought him out and slapped up some McMansions on the very spot. Berms and tarps are NOT part of the new occupants’ imagined lifestyle!

3) Water that arrives from a direction other then the Boise River is NOT regulated. I can remember shoveling mud out of basements in east Boise as a young child. (The mud was carried by heavy rains, from the foothills north of town. No dam to stem the flow.) And a few years later I played in floodwater that overflowed the dikes north of Fort Boise, and covered Fort Boise, and was directed down Broadway Avenue with sandbags.

Living on the beach, or in the river bottoms, entails some risk. Lenders don’t want to assume that risk, preferring to pass it on to the beneficiaries of that waterfront lifestyle.

By: Porcupine

Porcupine — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 16:10:21 +0000

If Lucky Peak breaks it won’t matter where you live in Boise….Except for the foothill folks and the Bench.

By: erico49

erico49 — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 14:10:01 +0000

Berg did an excellent job in his article. One sentence stands out as true: “And while we all know what a flood plain looks like, putting precise lines on a map takes a tricky combination of data and guesswork.” That isn’t to say that Boise and GC are correct in challenging, but it does indicate that it’s not a precise analysis–meaning it’s open to revision. Also, why is it that in this case we have “Fed experts,” but when it comes to climate change, or sage grouse habitat, or forest management the feds are idiots?

By: chicago sam

chicago sam — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 03:04:53 +0000

Probably a minor consideration but will it change the status of the proposed CWI Boise campus?

By: Easterner

Easterner — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 23:09:50 +0000

“a pre-determined outcome”
Isn’t that what we ALL want in life?

Maybe the question is, WHY the fed determined different flood lines.

Did our topography change?
What changed?

A 100 year flood – precision is not going to matter. I have my boat ready!

By: Inna

Inna — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 20:06:54 +0000

Boise City Council believes the consultants paid by developers more than their own common sense.

By: Clancy Anderson

Clancy Anderson — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 19:32:36 +0000

Careful…last time you played in river, you got delisted from press releases. https://boiseguardian.com/2010/08/11/round-2-of-guardian-de-listed-by-boise-pd/

I can tell you that water doesn’t care about politics or who thinks they are right. It will always seek its’ own path.