Tumbleweeds invade Kennewick neighborhood. ‘I have no idea what to do next’

A Kennewick couple say their tumbleweed mess of epic proportions is “comical in a way.”

The prickly bushes are stacked high enough that one woman’s 6-foot-4 husband nearly disappeared from sight when he ventured into the quagmire, trying to clear a path for their dog.

Recent wind storms caused tumbleweed problems throughout the Tri-Cities area.

On New Year’s Eve, so many tumbleweeds blew across Highway 240 northwest of Richland, that parts of a 20-mile stretch were closed for 10 hours and cars trapped in the storm were abandoned. News of the phenomenon was reported across the country and even internationally.

For residents in an Olympia Street neighborhood on the south edge of Kennewick, the typical southwest wind pattern often causes tumbleweed problems — but not this bad.

Betti Slocumb, who has lived in the area over 30 years, said it’s “the worst I’ve ever seen.”

Experts say last winter’s snowfall grew an extra large tumbleweed crop this year.

Thousands of them, blown by a southwest wind, filled yards, including her neighbors’ lot.

Penelope, their 9-year-old English bulldog, has been forced to use the unfenced front yard. And their kids swing set is completely obscured.

They say they don’t yet have a strategy for the tumbleweed removal since their regular lawn care provider is out of town.

They paid him about $400 a few months ago to remove a different batch of the pesky plants that arrived in the fall.

The couple, Danielle and Tyler, moved into their two-story home four years ago and since that time they’ve contended with drifting snow, wildfires and now a tumbleweed invasion.

Tumbleweed annoyance

Of the three issues, Danielle, who asked that her last name not be used, described the tumbleweeds as “more of an annoyance.”

Tyler grew up in Finley on a property with 1 1/2 acres and “we used to just burn them in the open.”

During a lull in the wind on Sunday they used burn barrels but had barely made a dent in the pile when the wind picked up again and it was too dangerous to continue.

“We just don’t even know where to start,” Danielle said.

Slocumb spent about $870 last October to have her property cleared of the weeds and has cleared more since.

“I have no idea what to do next. We’ve used up all our free dumping at the transfer station,” she said.

Danielle said she called the city of Kennewick to see if there were any resources available but was told they were on their own.

For now, they are keeping their fingers crossed that the winds subside.

“Wish us luck, because we don’t know what we’re going to do ” Danielle said.