With localized flooding around Benton County and more storms reportedly on the way, some area residents were wondering Wednesday whether they’d be able to protect their homes if the problem gets any worse.

Several property owners on Southwest Beals Avenue, an unpaved lane off Country Club Drive just outside the Corvallis city limits, found themselves scrambling for sandbags Wednesday morning when water began spilling out of the drainage ditches on either side of the roadway.

“There was probably two or three inches of water in my garage until I was able to get sandbags up against the door,” said Jeff Pollard, who has lived on Beals Avenue for about eight years.

First he had to get the sandbags, and that was the problem — he wasn’t sure where to go. Pollard got lucky, quickly locating what he needed at The Bark Place, a landscaping supply business on Southwest Philomath Boulevard. The business sells sandbags for $3.50 apiece to customers willing to fill their own, or $5.50 if the staff fills them.

Some businesses are making supplies available for free.

Green & White Rock Products, about a mile south of the airport at 28054 Payne Road, has set aside a sand pile for property owners who need it. Mid Valley Agricultural Products has donated used grass seed bags at the same location.

On Wednesday, Green & White dispatcher Tony Rictor said, there was no real demand for the supplies, but that could change with the weather.

“If it keeps raining,” he said, “who knows? It could get ugly.”

In a serious emergency, city and county officials said, they’ll make sandbags available at no charge, as they did during the last major floods to hit the mid-valley in the winter of 1996.

Corvallis Public Works Director Steve Rogers said his staff is keeping an eye on weather reports and river levels. If conditions warrant it, the division would stockpile sand and bags at various locations around town, most likely in school parking lots.

In the meantime, Rogers said, the Public Works Division will make sandbags available at no charge on a case-by-case basis. Corvallis residents who are worried can call the division at 766-6916 for assistance.

The city of Philomath isn’t waiting. Sand, bags and even a shovel are available outside the city’s public works yard, 1515 Willow Lane.

“It’s there for anybody that needs it,” office specialist Betty Williams said. “We like to help them out.”

So far, Benton County has not put out sandbagging supplies for property owners. But Commissioner Jay Dixon said the county could react quickly if the problem gets worse.

“We’ll work with the city to make sure we have sand and sandbags available,” Dixon said.

Peggy Peirson, the county’s emergency services coordinator, advised anyone concerned about possible flooding of their home not to wait until the creeks overflow to take action.

“I would say be proactive,” Peirson said. “Go get sand and bags yourself and be prepared.”

That’s pretty much what Pollard is doing. With the water level at his Beals Avenue home dropping Wednesday afternoon, he was planning on keeping the sandbags he bought that morning handy for the next time the drainage ditch spills over onto his property.

“This has happened two or three times since I’ve lived here,” Pollard said.

“It takes awhile for the county to respond to something like this, and this is a pretty localized problem.”

Bennett Hall is the business editor for the Gazette-Times. He can be reached at 758-9529 or

bennett.hall@lee.net.