LAKE TAPPS, Wash. — Flooding in Lake Tapps has persisted for weeks, affecting a local neighborhood and leading to significant disruptions.
Pierce County Public Works crews began efforts to pump out the flooded road on Wednesday afternoon.
The flooding has been ongoing since mid-December, leaving residents frustrated. Duane Bratvold, a local resident, said people made light of a tough situation, putting out floaties and funny signs.
“You have to, everybody was getting so frustrated. When the first (inflatable) shark showed up, the whole attitude of the community, it got to be a lot of fun,” Bratvold said. “Yesterday afternoon, there was a jet ski out here.”
Bratvold added, “People on the lake that use this road or around the neighborhood called the county, county told us at that time it was the landowner’s responsibility. We pleaded.”
John Hofer, the property manager of Lake Tapps Self-Storage, reported that flooding resulted from stormwater overwhelming the pond on the property and clogging a nearby drain.
“When all the storms hit us, all the water from South Tapps, everywhere around here, all came rushing right into our property,” Hofer said.
Hofer told KIRO 7 his parent company, Manna Lake LLC, has spent approximately $20,000 on trying to remedy the flooding situation, but was unsuccessful.
Hofer says Pierce County Public Works agreed to pump out the water once a contract was signed, waiving the county from liability for any damage to the property.
The water being pumped out is currently being tested by the county before it’s drained into the nearby Hidden Lake. Results of the tests were not available at the time of this report.
Hofer has welcomed the testing, responding to accusations of releasing hazardous materials, stating, “We’re not committing a bunch of violations. Any letter that I’ve received from the county concerning a violation, we’ve responded to every one of them. And after we responded to them, we never heard back again.”
The county acknowledged receiving several reports of code violations concerning the property, noting that staff had difficulty accessing the site for inspections, which is why the cases remain active.
Pierce County crews are actively working to alleviate the flooding, which may take up to three days. Hofer says once the flooding is resolved, he’ll take measures to ensure it doesn’t flood again.