Sand and bags being distributed around county

In preparation for flooding, Flathead County recently received another 115,000 bags for sand from the Army Corps of Engineers this week, Scott Sampey, director of the county Office of Emergency Services, said. Officials are trying to get bags and sand delivered around the county so the public can get the materials.

Bags now are available at the Columbia Falls Police Department, and sand is being stored at the fire station next to the police station. Sand and bags are also at the fire hall in West Glacier, but the materials isn't yet available to the public, Sampey said. County employees are using sandbags there to protect infrastructure in West Glacier.

Sampey credited a great volunteer turnout in West Glacier on Tuesday for keeping water out of some houses. He said almost 40 people showed up to help fill and place sandbags on Riverbend Road, a low-lying area that floods frequently.

Gauges on local rivers all showed levels below flood stage on Thursday, May 26, Sampey said. Steady rains on Thursday added to the water situation in the Flathead Valley, but low temperatures helped by limiting snow melt.

The National Weather Service recorded as of Thursday afternoon 0.70 inches of precipitation at Glacier Park International Airport, 0.83 inches at West Glacier, 0.89 inches west of Kalispell and 2.1 inches at Noisy Basin, a high-elevation site in Jewel Basin on the Swan Range where the substantial snowpack holds 66.1 inches of water.

Areas of concern include the Middle Fork at West Glacier, the Flathead River at Columbia Falls and Evergreen, the Whitefish River near Kalispell and the entire Stillwater River, Sampey said.

"While widespread flooding is not predicted, flash flooding could occur," Sampey said. Flash flooding can occur when a large amount of rain falls in a short period or from debris blocking waterways. "The latter is more likely in the Flathead Valley and emergency workers continue to monitor and break up log jams as needed," he said.

Sampey pointed out that essentially every inch of a river has a different flood stage, "depending on how high the ground is there and how deep the river is at that site." Topography changes along a river and that affects flood levels, he said.

The emergency services office continues to update its 24-hour flood hotline, 758-2111. For more information about flood preparation and flooding predictions, visit online at http://flathead.mt.gov/oes. Instructions about how to fill and use sandbags can be found at www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Flood/NWD_Sandbag_Pamphlet.pdf.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is projecting that Flathead Lake may rise four feet and exceed its full-pool elevation of 2,893 feet in early June due to high inflows of water.

PPL Montana, the operator of Kerr Dam, warns property owners in the vicinity of Flathead Lake to make whatever preparations are necessary to protect docks, boats and property in the event of flooding.

The dam recently has been releasing water at 34,000 cubic feet per second through its three generators and 11 spillways. As of Thursday afternoon, main rivers that empty into Flathead Lake were flowing at a combined 49,000 cfs.

The lake is currently at 2,889.93 feet. At the full pool elevation of 2,893 feet, which is expected around June 5, Kerr Dam will be releasing about 55,000 cfs. The current forecast is for the lake to reach 2,893.91 feet by June 15. At that point, the dam could be releasing up to 60,000 cfs.