Should i worry about flooding in medford? (Grants Pass, Ashland: homes, job market)

[Lexington]

We are thinking of moving to Medford and have been researching housing and other aspects of life there. All looks great, but wonder about the issue of dam removal and how that will impact future floods. The last flood was apparently in 1997, but the 1964 flood was really bad. We can't find information regarding floodplains in Medford and surrounding towns, and would like to know the safest area to buy a house. Any information would be appreciated!

[westvillemama]

Have you heard the addage, "anywhere it can rain, it can flood..."? That is as true for Medford as it is true for any valley town! I was around for the '97 flood, which was a freak occurrance I have to say: record mountain snowfall combined with a crazy winter warm front and heavy rain (called the "Pineapple Express") created a total melt situation which overloaded the small creeks and streams. Ashland and Talent were hit much harder than Medford, due to elevation and proximity to creeks.

The 60's flood was another of those freak 100 (or 500) year floods you hear about. The entirety of the valley was wet or at risk of getting wet! That happening again in our lifetimes is an extremely small risk. Most of the areas in Medford are "safe" from flooding, so long as you are not living close to a stream or in a natural run-off plain. A visual survey of a particular property may be becessary to determine if either of those are the case, or you can get a general idea of your desired property's risk by checking the location at Jackson County SmartMap

[freedom]

Originally Posted by Lexington

We are thinking of moving to Medford and have been researching housing and other aspects of life there. All looks great, but wonder about the issue of dam removal and how that will impact future floods. The last flood was apparently in 1997, but the 1964 flood was really bad. We can't find information regarding floodplains in Medford and surrounding towns, and would like to know the safest area to buy a house. Any information would be appreciated!

Medford is not a big flood area, bear creek is the only real waterway that would effect anything there.
The damns that are being removed are not in Medford so that won't be an issue.
If you do buy a home there, just check with the Planning dept. downtown and they can show you if there is a potential for flood.

As well, buy a home on a knoll or above a pasture area and you'll be fine. Unless of course the Lost creek damn is breached (unlikely) then the valley would see a short term wall of water.

freedom

[Lexington]

Thanks for the quick reply! I agree that all places with rain have some risk of flood. However, I am wondering if the liklihood of a flood may be impacted by a couple of things : the removal of the dams (for the salmon) and global warming making snow melt more likely. If those things occur, the conditions present during a Pineapple Express could be an annual concern.

I probably sound like I worry about everything, but flooding is higher on my list than tornados (we are currently in KY) or earthquakes (originally from CA). It is possible to avoid being in a flood zone, but the other two threats are out of our control. I will take your advice and investigate the flood risk of any property we look at in Medford.

[westvillemama]

Which dams are being removed? Is it more than just the Savage Rapids Dam? If that's the only one, it is located near Grants Pass and won't be of consequence to Medford at all.

Medford doesn't flood like the midwest river basins do, no way, no how. The terrain is steep and water will quickly drain away to the ocean. Even when it does flood, the water never stays around for long. The fact that the worst flood in the area was over 40 years ago is a clue. The key to mountain living is A) not to live on or below too steep a hillside (mudslides) and B) not to live next to a river or stream, because it's a catch-all for overflow and snowmelt. Beyond that, you're golden.

Freedom is correct in the assertation that Bear Creek is pretty much the only stream which flows through Medford proper. There's other smaller streams in the area which have also had flooding issues-- Wagner Creek, for one-- but that one is in the Talent area and is quite small-- Applegate for two, but that's an actual river and if you take my above advice you wouldn't be living next to it anyway!

The '97 flood was a "perfect storm" of weather conditions, which resulted in some rapidly rising water. The likelihood of exactly those events all coming together again is extremely low. Record snowfall followed by record rainfall followed immediately by a 20+ jump in temps overnight? Once in a blue moon, and I'd lived in S. OR since '71. I wouldn't let that freak occurrance sway you. The job market? Sure. Not flooding, though.

[Nell Plotts]

Just stop by the City/Counting planning office and look at their 'flood map' No harm limiting yourself to the 500-year areas but as the earlier poster said don't ignore slope stability. The State did a huge study of that subject. Contact the State Geologist if you are curious.

[Lexington]

Thanks to all who responded with really good information! We are keeping Medford in mind, while looking at a couple of other areas before deciding. I still worry a bit about the fact that average temperatures in the West have increased by 2 degrees (with global temps only increasing by half that), but it is not clear if that would impact flooding in Medford. Climate changes have some impact anywhere you would go, so it is a matter of lesser resulting problems. Medford still sounds like a good bet.

[Nell Plotts]

In the NW flooding usually results from rapid snow run-off. The other possibility is heavy rain over a short period of time. With a little research you should be able to find homes at little risk of flooding.

If you think global warming is a serious risk I would avoid communities in arid areas. In the west, historically, fights over water rights can be deadly - and this was before global warming. Don't buy farmland with 'water rights' as many of these rights are subordinate to other claims... like fish.