Clogged Culverts Cause Significant Flooding in Tualitan

While conducting the evacuations firefighters had to contend with safety concerns over stepping in open man holes and outdoor landscape lights under water.

File photo

(TUALATIN, Ore.) - Emergency crews say a clogged culvert along Highway 99, just south of Durham Road, has resulted in significant flooding of the southbound lanes of Highway 99 and a King City neighborhood at SW Queen Anne Avenue and Royalty Parkway.

Motorists were encouraged to use an alternative route and employ extreme caution if traveling southbound due to limited access, heavy equipment, and crews working at the site. Clean Water Services and ODOT crews worked late to unclog the culvert before morning rush hour.

Earlier Sunday evening, 18 residents and two cats from 16 homes were evacuated due to water backing up into their neighborhood from the clogged culvert.

Firefighters and King City police officers went door-to-door at some homes assisting senior citizens, but had to utilize its Water Rescue Team to evacuate those seniors threatened by deeper flood waters.

While conducting the evacuations firefighters had to contend with safety concerns over stepping in open man holes and outdoor landscape lights under water. Evacuees were taken to temporary shelters at the King City Fire Station and City Hall (King City) and later placed into a local hotel by the American Red Cross.

Sunday afternoon, Clean Water Services was notified by residents concerned about rising water and responded to access the situation. Crews discovered the clogged culvert and began attempts to unclog the system. At about 8:30 PM, increasing rain amounts eventually overloaded the culvert, backing water over Highway 99 and into the Queen Anne and Royalty Parkway neighborhood forcing the evacuation of residents.

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