The laws were probably violated by someone dredging out an old channel in the Sauk and the following is not meant to excuse any criminal activity. It is meant to validate some of what JohnnyCoho and ONTHESAUK said concerning understanding where the people who live their are coming from.


Flood Damage Lingers

SNOHOMISH COUNTY - With this year's floods came damage and destruction that are still haunting homeowners

"We have a house up there and haven't been able to get to it since the floods," said John Miller who owns a place near Darrington.

Along the Sauk River residents were hit particularly hard. Banks washed away, taking with them foundations, homes, and roadways.

At a town meeting in Darrington Saturday, property owners demanded help from Snohomish County. Residents want the roads fixed and the damage made a priority.

But John Koster with the Snohomish County Council says they simply don't have the money, so the county will be asking for federal aid.

Residents are also hoping the federal government will ease a 32 year ban on dredging, rock removal, and stabilizing the banks along the Sauk. The federal rules were put in place to protect the river's habitat.

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Homeowners seek protection from \'wild\' river


DARRINGTON, Wash. - It’s become a situation of "man versus nature" for many landowners along an east Snohomish County river.

After nature appeared to be winning, one man took matters into his own hands and tried to change the course of the Sauk River. On Saturday, dozens of property owners near Darrington attended a meeting to find out what, if anything, they can do.

Many property owners feel the Sauk River's "wild and scenic" designation has shackled them from protecting their homes. Many moved there attracted to the river's natural beauty, but the river has since undercut their dreams and turned enemy to many homeowners.

Fran Gruszka's retirement plans have eroded and washed away. Last October, the Sauk ran rampant and in its fury decided to change its course. It has been happening since the beginning of time - a flood forces a river to carve a new channel.

But congressional protection of the Sauk has since hindered Gruszka and many homeowners from carving out a new life for themselves.

"It's a big loss," she said. "Basically we're going to have to start over from scratch."

In Gruszka's case, the designation has proven a sticking point in her flood insurance claim. Others claim the federal government's 1978 "wild and scenic" protection of the Sauk prevents them from protecting their property against future disasters.

"People were put there to manage nature. If nature's going to run amok, then counties shouldn't be selling homes on floodplains or taking taxes from people on floodplains," said Joan Burden, who bought her recreational riverside property a decade before the government acted to protect the waterway.

On Saturday, her daughter proposed creating a local governing body to dredge the river and yet protect the habitat in efforts to save landowners' property.

Many who attended the packed meeting feel the same frustration that compelled an unnamed person to take matters into his own hands and use earthmoving equipment to try to control the sauk.