As longtime locals know, the Marys River overflows its banks from time to time during the winter months.
South Thirteenth Street, which turns into Fern Road beyond the city limits, is one of the first to be overcome with floodwaters — which makes sense based on its locale. The rodeo grounds and Marys River Park are typically hit hard as well with where they sit in relation to the river. And it can be an interesting visual to drive down Bellfountain Road when such events occur.
The historic crests seen below are based on information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. According to the agency’s information on flood impacts for the river, major and widespread flooding occurs when the level hits 21 feet.
The flood of February 1996 is memorable to many but it ranks only 13th on the NOAA list at 20.80 feet. Still, it’s a flood that seems to have affected a lot of people in bad ways. The oldest flooding listed by the agency goes back to New Year’s Day 1938 when the river reached 20.30 feet.
Here then, are the five highest crests of the Marys River near Philomath as listed by the NOAA.
1. 21.53 feet (Jan. 19, 2012)
The highest crest on record occurred Jan. 19, 2012. As you might guess, heavy rain fell in the days leading up to the flooding. The Friendly Y, a neighborhood near the intersection of Highways 20 and 34, was hit especially hard. According to a story that appeared in the Oregonian, at least one resident was motoring around in a small boat to give folks a way to get out of flooded homes.
2. 21.21 feet (Nov. 25, 2016)
The river reached 21.21 feet on Black Friday in 2016 with a series of storms with heavy rain (and very strong winds) hitting the Willamette Valley. It sounds like those visiting relatives for Thanksgiving had some pretty cranky weather to deal with while on their travels.
3. 21.10 feet (Dec. 18, 2015)
Water overtook several streets in the area — most notably South 13th Street, Bellfountain Road, Grange Hall Road, Fern Road and Chapel Drive — as water spilled over the banks of the Marys River in this weather event that occurred a week before Christmas. Of course, those streets (and a few others) are often the first casualties when the river reaches flood levels.
4. 21.07 feet (Dec. 30, 2005)
The Marys River reached its highest levels in 32 years in late December 2005. The rodeo grounds were underwater and water depths on South 13th Street reportedly reached more than 3 feet in some places. Philomath Police were issuing tickets to motorists who ignored road blocks and attempted to drive through flooded streets.
5. 21.03 feet (Dec. 3, 2007)
This 2007 flooding event had the typical impacts with road closures. A story that appeared in the Corvallis Gazette-Times mentioned The Woodsman with employees that had to work extra hard to deal with rising water coming up from underneath the building. The storm that ripped through the area caused other damages with high winds, such as a tree that fell on Highway 180 between Blodgett and Eddyville.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).