- Flood of 1986 -

“Boil Observations ”

Summary of interview of Eddie Bolton by Richard von Geldern, March 14, March 16 and May 27, 1986:

Eddie Bolton had been on patrol with his father the day before the flood. He knew, from the description given to him by his father what a boil would approximately look like. At 5:10 p.m. on February 20, 1986, Eddie was riding his bicycle along the top of the Linda levee. He noticed a pond of muddy water along the landside toe of the levee. He had been told that boils that carry mud are more dangerous than boils that carry clear water so he looked more carefully and discovered the boil carried muddy watter. It was from ten inches to one foot in diameter and about six inches high. Very muddy water was boiling through the surface of the pond. He noticed that within perhaps six inches of the muddy boil two or three smaller boils (about 1-1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch high) were carrying clear water.

Eddie realized he that he might have discovered a dangerous condition, so he went home and told his mother about the boil; after listening to his story, Eddie’s mother drove him to his father’s place of work. After listening to the boil description, his father sent Eddie to the Linda Fire District Firehouse No. 1 to report the discovery to Captain Walt Woods. By the time Woods at the site of the reported boil shortly after 6 p.m., he saw a white section in the otherwise green levee slope (he was on the opposite side). He thought (correctly) that he was seeing a levee break. He proceeded to drive onto the levee, easterly along the levee to the break. Water was flowing over a lowered section of the levee or through a missing section of the levee. The water had made a cut about 40 feet wide and was fanning out over the land. Woods broadcast a warning call on his transceiver and then left the levee to organize the warning operation.

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