Mobile dam donation will help keep Sumas fire station dry during future flooding

A donation from a California company should help keep the Sumas fire station relatively dry the next time the Nooksack River floods.

Heavy flooding In December forced Fire District 14 to evacuate the fire station in Sumas and set up a command base about a mile to the south, where they could monitor rescue operations.

Firefighters were prepared to evacuate because it was the third time flooding from the Nooksack River had damaged the station since it was built in the 1980s, according to a news release from Fire District 14.

To help prevent the station from flooding in the future, Aqua Dam Inc. recently donated a flood-control dam to District 14, according to the news release. The flood-control dam, valued at $44,665, is a reusable, water-filled barrier that is 420 feet long. It can be deployed around the fire station during heavy flooding.

District 14 will still be working out of a command trailer outside of town during a flood event since even if the fire station remains dry, they won’t be able to drive their rescue vehicles out of the fire station with a dam in place. What the dam will do is prevent firefighters from having to clean up the station after flooding, Assistant Chief David Moe told The Bellingham Herald.

Aqua Dam Inc. is located in Scotia, California. The company makes water-filled flood-control and containment products used across the United States, according to the release.

Moe said Fire District 14 reached out to Aqua Dam Inc. while they were researching ways to control flooding, and the company was willing to provide the fire station with the dam for the cost of shipping.

The dam arrived at the Sumas station Wednesday morning, and firefighters are actively working on a storage plan since the dam is “quite large,” according to Moe.

“We’re extremely grateful for the support we’ve received from the community and from Aqua Dam,” District 14 Chief Jerry DeBruin said in the release. “While it’d be nice to think that there won’t be another flood, recent history says otherwise, so this donation will help us immensely for the next flood.”

Jack Belcher

The Bellingham Herald

360-715-2206

Jack Belcher covers transportation and recreation for The Bellingham Herald. He graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in digital journalism in 2020 and joined the staff in September 2022. Belcher resides in Bellingham.