(Photos: Dan Kaufman)
A reader that lives in Sellwood has shared news and photos of the Oaks Bottom Trail submerged under several inches of water. The trail is a key connection from the popular Spingwater Corridor Trail to McLoughlin Boulevard (99E) where it intersects with Milwaukie Ave.
Dan Kaufman can see the flooded area from the deck in his backyard. He says the flooding is passable by bike (as long as you don’t try to pedal), but it has turned some people back. “I have seen cyclists turn around to avoid it.” Kaufman says if you’re walking on the trail, you’d better have some rubber boots.
Kaufman says he’s tried to have the City of Portland alleviate the flooding, but, “They won’t do anything about it.” He says he sometimes sees a “road closed” sign at the top of the hill (where the trail emerges at McLoughlin), but feels the issues would be treated differently “if it were a motor road.” Making this issue more complicated is that this trail goes right through a pond and sensitive habitat that is being restored by City of Portland Parks.
Here’s a map of the location where the trail is flooded…
See more photos in Dan Kaufman’s photo gallery.
Do you ride through this area? If you have been impacted by this flooding, please share your experiences below.
UPDATE: I heard from Portland Parks spokesperson Beth Sorensen. She says the trail was designed for the water to go underneath, but the ground is “oversaturated” and “it’s [the trail] isn’t designed for that much water.” Here’s more from Sorensen:
“That’s a protected wetland area so we are obligated to not go in there and mess around with it. That area is also red-legged frog species and we’re required by state and federal law to protect the species… On either side of that trail you’ll find that species so we’ll have to be really careful about how things are handled in that area. If people go through there by bike or on foot, please stay on the trail.”
Sorensen also said that Portland Parks has explored funding for a raised trail in this area to solve these issues, but that funding for such a project isn’t likely in the short-term.