River may edge flood level
The potential for flooding this spring
is high for all of Western Montana, and locally, the Whitefish
River is expected to toe the line.
The National Weather Service in
Missoula reported last week that as the snowpack continues to grow
in Western Montana — some area mountains now hold as much as 72
inches of water equivalent — the likelihood of flooding is
increasing.
“We’ve got so much snow here it’s going
to be hard to avoid flooding,” said Ray Nickless, a hydrologist
with the National Weather Service.
Forecasts show the Whitefish River
topping out at 7 to 8 feet, with flood stage at 8.5 feet. Nickless
warns though, a period of heavy rain and warm temperatures could
elevate the chances of the river hitting the tipping point.
“I could see the [Whitefish River]
easily getting up there and pushing flood stage,” Nickless said
last week.
Currently the Whitefish River is just
above 4 feet at the river’s mouth. It has creeped upward each of
the past seven days.
Nickless noted that many stream flows
currently are below average because the mountain snowpack is still
growing — not melting as it typically does this time of year.
LeeAnn Allegretto, a meteorologist with
the National Weather Service, said that the long-range forecast
shows more of the same. May’s outlook is for above average
precipitation and below average temperatures. The three-month
outlook into July shows below average temperatures and average
precipitation.
“We’re stuck,” she said.
City officials are concerned about the
possibilty of elevated river levels, noting that the silt fencing
being used for restoration at river cleanup sites could be a flood
hazard.
Rob Hagler, a senior engineer working
on the cleanup project, told the city his crews will replace the
silt fencing with a geotextile fabric, as suggested by riparian and
wetland ecologist Paul Hansen.
Hansen told Hagler that using the
erosion control blanket will reduce any sedimentation issues along
the access road to the cleanup site. Once the high flow has
occurred, he suggested the blanket should be removed and the silt
fencing replaced.