Blankenship bank stabilization project complete

Flathead County has completed a project to stabilize the bank of the Flathead River at Blankenship Bridge.

The park that leads down to the river is closed until the vegetation and grass has a chance to grow back. The entrance is blocked with jersey barriers. 

The Blankenship Erosion Prevention Project as it was formally called, was a multi-agency initiative aimed at protecting public infrastructure and enhancing environmental stability along the Flathead River. 

The project marks a major step forward in safeguarding the Blankenship Bridge, public access roads, and critical fish habitat in the area, the county said in a release.

The project addressed ongoing erosion in the northwest quadrant of the bridge — a threat that, if left unmitigated, could have compromised the bridge approach and impacted Blankenship Road, the county said.

The river was beginning to erode the bank away on the northwest side of the bridge.

 Flathead County, the lead agency on the project, partnered with the Flathead National Forest due to its adjacent land ownership and regulatory oversight of the river itself, which is protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

“The project was a great example of interagency coordination. By using modern, natural stabilization techniques, we protected the bridge while improving habitat for native cutthroat and bull trout,” Hungry Horse/Glacier View District Ranger Rob Davis said.

Davies added that while the structure is expected to perform well, true success will become evident over the next couple of years after the stabilization work weathers a few high-water events. The bank was stabilized using tree root wads and native  willows.

The willows are already starting to grow.

The $750,000 project was primarily funded by Flathead County, with in-kind contributions from the Flathead National Forest. 

The project took just under two months, adhering to strict seasonal timing to protect migrating bull trout. 

The project implemented Best Management Practices to prevent sediment runoff and protect water quality and underwent a comprehensive environmental review and permitting process over a two-year period to comply with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. 

Ongoing monitoring will evaluate the success of both the erosion prevention measures and the habitat improvements.