Visitors to Riverfront Park were in for a surprise today after the Umatilla River overflowed and began flooding the grounds.
The entire parking lot and playground area is under water, forcing the Hermiston Parks and Recreation Department to close off the parking lot. The park, however, remains open and much of the walking path remains clear of water.
“We’ve got a little bit of a water retention issue,” joked Larry Fetter, the city’s parks and recreation director. Fetter said he isn’t sure exactly what caused the flooding, but speculated water runoff from the mountains is the culprit.
“It must be fairly warm up in the hills because that’s where the water is coming from,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “A lot of it doesn’t have to do with what’s happening here, but what’s happening up in the mountains.” Fetter said he was at the park Monday evening around 8 p.m. and noticed the river was right about at the crest line.
Fetter said the Umatilla River tends to overflow every four or five years. He said the water has washed away all the chip material that covers the playground area. The water is flowing heavily onto the Oxbow Trail area, as well.
At this point, the flooding isn’t presenting a public safety hazard, but Fetter said he and the parks department will be keeping an eye on the flooding. If the water continues to rise, they may have to close the park to the public until the water begins to recede.
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