Sultan gets a way out of town

By Leslie Moriarty

Herald Writer

SULTAN — No one likes to think about it happening, but the Culmback Dam could break and send a 25-foot wall of water rushing down on Sultan.

Residents would have about 40 minutes to flee the town before it would be under water.

That’s why city council members and public safety officials in Sultan have been working hard the past couple of months to make sure there is a safe way to higher ground.

"It’s unlikely," said councilwoman Carolyn Eslick. "But never say never."

If there were an earthquake, she said, chances are good that the bridges on U.S. 2 would fail, leaving residents without a way out of town. If the earthquake cracked the dam, which holds water from Spada Lake to the north of the city, a wall of water would be on its way.

But to establish a route to higher ground, Eslick and others needed an easement from local property owners.

"The exit route has always been up Love’s Hill to the east," she said. "The school kids have always known that and practiced that route. But the city has never had a legal title to do that."

Papers are expected to be signed today at the Sultan Community Center, giving the city an 80-foot easement up the hill.

"It’s a great feeling to know that we have this route legitimately," Eslick said. "We’ve been working on this a long time."

The hill, named Love’s Hill for former mayor Harold Love who once owned the entire hill, is now a part of the Eagle Ridge development created by Craig Morrison.

An official signing of the agreement will take place at 5:45 p.m. today at 319 Main St.

Eslick said years ago, the hill was used by teenagers who attempted to drive cars up it to sit and look at the town.

"In the last 20 years, no vehicles have been up it, but there is a trail there," she said. "Fifteen years ago, the school kids would practice the evacuation route once a year."

But in more recent years, the trail has narrowed and practice evacuations have stopped.

The Sultan School District is working with the city and sharing the costs for the agreement, she said.

"It’s very important," said Eslick. "Emergency officials say that if the dam should break, as many as half the residents of the Sultan area will perish. We have to be prepared for a wall of water and know how to get to higher ground."

You can call Herald Writer Leslie Moriarty at 425-339-3436

or send e-mail to moriarty@heraldnet.com.

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