Rivers recede as residents deal with the mess

Put away the hip waders.

Those record-breaking rains that swept through much of Western Washington over the weekend — leaving residents battling mudslides, bucketing out their basements and dealing with sewage streaming into yards — were to be replaced by chilly, winter temperatures.

Most rivers that crested Sunday were subsiding, but major flooding still was expected for the Snohomish, Stillaguamish and Skokomish rivers, the National Weather Service reported. Meteorologists called the weekend deluge — a creation of a weather system known as the "Pineapple Express" for its combination of heavy rain and warm temperatures — the wettest storm the area has seen in two years.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, as of 5 p.m. Sunday, already had set a rainfall record for the date — 2.16 inches, breaking the old mark for Dec. 12 of 1.7 inches set in 1966. The 1.42 inches at the airport Saturday broke the old mark for Dec. 11 of 1.32 inches, set in 1955. Quillayute on the Pacific Coast also had a record for the date, 2.17 inches. The old record was 1.64 inches, set in 2002.

A cold front was expected to blow through Sunday night, with rains reducing in intensity to showers by morning. Drier weather was expected later Monday, with a second cold front heading in during the evening, meteorologists said. Snow is expected in the Cascades on Monday night. The typical Northwest weather pattern of rain mixed with showers will take hold the rest of the week.

Even with better weather, authorities said, landslides would remain a concern.

Overflowing sewage

Sewage was flowing into Lake Washington most of the day Sunday because of a pump failure in Medina. Elsewhere, overflowing sewage flooded a yard in Mercer Island and closed two Seattle parks, said Annie Kolb-Nelson, spokeswoman for the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

"During very severe weather, the conditions in the system can cause it to be overwhelmed," Kolb-Nelson said.

Seattle is especially prone to overflow problems, she said, because of old pipes.

Sewage began to overflow at the Medina Pump Station about 1 a.m. Sunday, and a computer malfunction then made the problem worse, according to a county news release. Crews began using manual pumps, but an unknown, "significant" amount of sewage continued to flow from the station directly into Lake Washington on Sunday afternoon, Kolb-Nelson said.

Meanwhile, the Cascade Siphon in Renton was backed up and sewage was overflowing into the Cedar River, and the Carkeek, Hidden Lake and Richmond Beach pump stations reported overflows into Puget Sound.

Seattle closed Meadowbrook Park in North Seattle after an overtaxed sewer line blew open a concrete block over a sediment trap, causing wastewater to spill into the park. Crews also closed Carkeek Park after a volunteer reported sewage washing across a trail Sunday afternoon.

On Mercer Island, an overtopped manhole sent sewage streaming into a yard, so the county called in cleaning crews.

Seeping water

In several King County neighborhoods, homeowners watched as floodwaters inched closely toward their homes.

In the Haller Lake neighborhood, Aivia Monitto and her boyfriend, Derek Thirstrup, spent the bulk of the day running two industrial pumps to keep water from flowing into the first floor of their split-level home.

The couple, who live in the 300 block of Northeast 125th Street, said they were among five homes near Haller Lake trying to keep floodwaters from Northacres Park from seeping inside.

Monitto said this is a replay of what happened to their home Dec. 3, 2007. A deluge flooded their yard, and mold developed in the ground level of their home, which has kept them from using the area for anything but storage.

In Kenmore, Frankie Schmitt found herself battling the worst floodwaters she has seen in 27 years.

She rented an extra sump pump Friday and asked the Kenmore Fire Department to bring out sandbags to help protect her property. But she said the water in her driveway Sunday was 4 feet deep and that the garage from which she runs her machine-quilting shop was taking on water.

Nearby Swamp Creek floods often, and changes the city made recently to the street seemed to make it worse, she said. Beaver dams cause the high water to back up on her side of the creek, she said.

In a North Seattle neighborhood, residents strategically placed sandbags around their homes, said Ryan Steffens, who has lived in the neighborhood close to Northgate for six years. Steffens said water gushed from a manhole cover in the middle of the intersection at North 107th Street and Midvale Avenue North until around noon, when the rains lightened up.

Several landslides

State Patrol troopers were busy Sunday diverting traffic away from landslides.

Troopers shut down Highway 2 near Muddy Creek Campground west of the town of Skykomish, because of a landslide between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m. Trooper Keith Leary said motorists looking to head to Eastern Washington were diverted to Interstate 90.

Even though the roadway had reopened, Leary said, motorists heading toward Stevens Pass still needed to use extreme caution because of a high danger of avalanches.

Troopers also closed Highway 530 near Arlington at 1 p.m. after the Stillaguamish River flooded the roadway, Leary said.

Highway 530 is east of Arlington. The area near the Stillaguamish is usually one of the first to flood during heavy rains, Leary said. The State Patrol is keeping an eye on more heavily populated areas around the Snohomish River, he said.

In Whatcom County, a section of Chuckanut Drive, just north of Legg Road in Bow, remained closed late Sunday because of a landslide Friday, Leary said. Crews from the state Department of Transportation were heading to the site to evaluate the damage, Leary said.

Seattle Times reporters Emily Heffter and Steve Miletich contributed.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 and jensullivan@seattletimes.com