To Skagit Upriver Neighbors:

At the recent meeting in Concrete one questioner was concerned about what could happen if the river flooded. Their query, could the river change course? This could be avoided if flood gates were installed at the entrance of the proposed canal. If the project must be built, remove all the current obstructions that make the river unsafe for rafters. My proposal, build a wall in the river, parallel to the current at the entrance of the canal, with two gates, one at the upper end that would be angled to deflect water when closed, and one at the lower end of the wall angled to allow current to flow without creating a dead zone. When both gates were open water would flow around the wall with minimal obstruction to the river flow. When the upper gate was open and the lower gate closed a controlled amount of water would flow into the slew. When the river flooded the gates could be closed to prevent flooding in the slew.

Alex Wright

Concrete, Washington