2019 Flood Information
Updates
6/26/19: Hwy 435 is now open to traffic as County crews are two days ahead of schedule. Traffic is free to come and go. Dearborn Canyon Road is the next project and it is anticipated repairs will begin Thursday morning. Some work will also begin on the lower section of Elk Creek Road, provided it doesn't rain (otherwise, they will blade Sun Canyon Road).
6/20/19:
Roads still under closure
- Hwy 435 from south of Augusta to Chisolm Barrett Road: Barring any unforeseen problems, major repairs on Elk Creek Bridge should be completed and open for traffic late Thursday evening. However, the roadway will be closed at the Smith Creek Crossing Monday, July 24 to enact those repairs. It is expected to be closed Monday-Thursday but hopefully it will be open by late next Thursday.
- Elk Creek Road: Closed about the John Krauss residence.
All other roads are now open to traffic and most of the major repairs have been completed.
6/14/19: TENTATIVE Maintenance Plan for the Augusta Area. This is subject to change dependent on weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
1) June 17th-20th: With the water starting receding to near normal seasonal levels on Smith Creek and Elk Creek, the immediate focus will be to start repairs on the Elk Creek Bridge on 435 early next week. It is anticipated the repairs will take most of the work week to complete.
2) June 24th-27th: Smith Creek Bridge will be next on the list with repairs taking most of the week to complete as well. Once these repairs are complete, Hwy 435 will be opened for traffic and we will begin to address the various culvert issues we have in the greater Augusta area.
3) July 1st-3rd: Dearborn Canyon road repair will be the 3rd priority. We will begin by installing a new culvert at Joslin Creek crossing which will eliminate water overtopping the road. In addition, we have some repairs by the Green Bridge to address, but should able to complete all the repairs along Dearborn Canyon within this time frame.
4) July 8th-31st: Would like to begin work on Elk Creek Road and move forward with the plan to install both new bridges.
6/14/19:
Augusta road update as of Thursday evening. Changes in bold, only roads with changes, closures or restrictions are listed. Read previous posts for info on other roads.
- Hwy 435: Closed to through traffic south of town (locals can use the road until the Elk Creek Bridge). Closed to through traffic at the Chisolm Barret Rd intersection.
- Eberel Lane: Closed to traffic. The County was able to open several plugged culverts and eliminate water from running onto the road; however, it still has severe erosion at multiple locations that pose a traffic hazard.
- Elk Creek Road: Closed to through traffic above John Krauss ranch.
All other roads are open at this time.
6/7/19:
Augusta road update as of Thursday evening. Changes in bold, only roads with changes, closures or restrictions are listed. Read previous posts for info on other roads.
- Flat Creek Road: Open to traffic.
- Dearborn Canyon: Closed to through traffic, passable for high clearance vehicles only.
- 434/High Bridge (both sides):Open to traffic.
- Chisolm Barrett Road: Closed to through traffic, passable for locals.
- Hwy 435: Closed to through traffic south of town (locals can use the road until the Elk Creek Bridge). Closed to through traffic at the Hwy 435 intersection.
- Elk Creek Road: Closed to through traffic. Road is in fair condition up to John Krauss residence.
- Lovers Lane: 435 side - Open to traffic and is passable. 287 side - Closed to through traffic; however, locals can access it as the water is now off the road.
- Eberel Lane: Closed to traffic, road is passable (but very rough) from Camp Walker side to Hwy 21 side.
6/2/19:
Augusta road update as of Monday afternoon. Changes in bold, only roads with closures or restrictions are listed.
- Flat Creek Road: Closed to through traffic, passable for locals with high clearance trucks only.
- Dearborn Canyon: Closed to through traffic, passable for high clearance vehicles only.
- 434/High Bridge (both sides): Closed to through traffic, road now passable east of Bean Lake Intersection but remains closed. Impassable on Wolf Creek side due to rock/mud slide near bridge.
- Chisolm Barrett Road: Closed to through traffic, passable for locals.
- Hwy 435: Closed to through traffic south of town (locals can use the road until the Elk Creek Bridge).
- Elk Creek Road: Closed to through traffic. Road is in fair condition up to John Krauss residence.
- Clemons Road: Now open for residents.
- Lovers Lane: 435 side - Open to traffic and is passable. 287 side - Closed to through traffic; however, locals can access it as the water is now off the road.
- Eberel Lane: Closed to traffic, impassable from Camp Walker side and Hwy 21 side.
Augusta road update as of Friday evening from County Public Works. Changes in bold. We will begin to remove some closures this week as road conditions improve:
- Flat Creek Road: Closed to through traffic, passable for locals with high clearance trucks only.
- Dearborn Canyon: Closed to through traffic, passable for high clearance vehicles only.
- 434/High Bridge (both sides): Closed to through traffic, road now passable east of Bean Lake Intersection but remains closed. Impassable on Wolf Creek side due to rock/mud slide near bridge.
- Chisolm Barrett Road: Closed to through traffic, passable for locals.
- Hwy 435: Closed to through traffic south of town (locals can use the road until the Elk Creek Bridge).
- Elk Creek Road: Closed to through traffic. Road is in fair condition up to John Krauss residence.
- Smith Creek Road: Open.
- Clemons Road: Closed to through traffic, open to residents on the east side of the bridge.
- Lovers Lane: 435 side - Closed to through traffic, passable for locals. 287 side - Closed to traffic, impassable.
- Benchmark Road: Open to traffic.
- Sun Canyon/Bar Creek: Open to traffic.
- Eberel Lane: Closed to traffic, impassable from Camp Walker side and Hwy 21 side.
- Warden Road: Open.
- Dry Creek: Open.
5/31/19: Well water testing kits for the Augusta folks are available at the Augusta Gas Station Friday/Saturday this week and at the Public Health Department Office on Monday. The first test is being paid for by the Lewis and Clark Conservation District IF you bring it to Sarah Howe-Cobb at the Youth Center by 8:30 on Thursday, June 6. She will be leaving Augusta at 9 a.m. There is only a 30 hour window to get water to be sampled from faucet to test, so wait to grab your sample until Wednesday afternoon/Thursday morning. If you have questions, Sarah can be contacted at 406-562-3509 or 406-562-3694.
Public Health flood safety fact sheets:
- Managing Your Septic System During/Following a Flood
- Your Well: What to Do after the Flood
- During and After Flooding: What's Safe to Eat
Augusta will be having two cleanup days next week, Thursday, June 6 starting at 8 am and Saturday, June 8 starting at 9 am. Meet at the Augusta Youth Center on Main Street. See the Augusta Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page for more details
5/30/19: Here is an Augusta road update as of Wednesday evening from County Public Works. Changes in bold. We will continue to post updates as we get them:
- Flat Creek Road: Closed to through traffic, passable for locals with high clearance trucks only.
- Dearborn Canyon: Closed to through traffic, passable for high clearance vehicles only.
- 434/High Bridge (both sides): Closed to through traffic, road now passable east of Bean Lake Intersection but remains closed. Impassable on Wolf Creek side due to rock/mud slide near bridge.
- Chisolm Barrett Road: Closed to through traffic, passable for locals.
- Hwy 435: Closed to through traffic south of town (locals can use the road until the Elk Creek Bridge).
- Elk Creek Road: Closed to through traffic. Impassable past Gene Swanson's.
- Smith Creek Road: Closed to through traffic.
- Clemons Road: Closed to through traffic, no access past Hogum Slough.
- Lovers Lane: 435 side - Closed to through traffic, passable for locals. 287 side - Closed to traffic, impassable.
- Benchmark Road: Open to traffic.
- Sun Canyon/Bar Creek: Open to traffic.
- Eberel Lane: Closed to traffic, impassable from Camp Walker side and Hwy 21 side.
- Warden Road: Open.
- Dry Creek: Open.
5/29/19: Here is an Augusta road update as of Tuesday evening from County Public Works. We will continue to post updates as we get them:
- Flat Creek Road: Closed to through traffic, passable for locals with high clearance trucks only.
- Dearborn Canyon: Closed to through traffic.
- 434/High Bridge (both sides): Closed to through traffic, impassable east of Bean Lake Intersection, rock/mud slide near bridge.
- Chisolm Barrett Road: Closed to through traffic, passable for locals.
- Hwy 435: Closed to through traffic south of town (locals can use the road until the Elk Creek Bridge).
- Elk Creek Road: Closed to through traffic. Impassable past Gene Swanson's.
- Smith Creek Road: Closed to through traffic.
- Clemons Road: Closed to through traffic, impassable past the last residence.
- Lovers Lane: 435 side - Closed to through traffic, passable for locals. 287 side - Closed to traffic, impassable.
- Benchmark Road: Open to traffic.
- Sun Canyon/Bar Creek: Open to traffic.
- Eberel Lane: Closed to traffic, impassable from Camp Walker side.
- Warden Road: Open.
- Dry Creek: Open.
5/28/19: Sun Canyon Road at Augusta is now open.
The Lewis and Clark County Board of County Commissioners issued an emergency declaration this morning.
5/27/19: ROAD CLOSURES
- Hwy 287 just south of Augusta.
- Flat Creek Road from Hwy 287.
- Hwy 434/435 closed from Hwy 200 to Augusta.
- Sun Canyon Road at Augusta. (Open as of 5/28/19)
- Benchmark Road at Augusta.
The Salvation Army, through Elkhorn COAD, will be delivering bottled water to the Augusta Fire Station later today.
If anyone wishes to make donations, they can be directed to the Salvation Army. They ask at this time for monetary donations only. The Salvation Army will open on Tuesday, May 28 at 10:00 am. The phone number is 406-442-8244.
4/22/19: The Helena Salvation Army has placed nearly 6,000 empty sandbags near the sand piles at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds. These are FREE to the public, please come down and help yourself.
4/11/19: With landowner permission and the proper permits, Public Works was able to remove a newly discovered debris pile from Ten Mile Creek to mitigate flooding.
4/9/19: The Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) has two piles of sand at the fairgrounds, free of charge. The sand is in the parking lot northeast of the Exhibitor Building. You must provide your own sandbags at this time.
3/27/19: The National Weather Service updates, including the weather forecast and flood advisories, can be found here: NWS Great Falls website, Facebook page, and Twitter page.
Monitoring Links
GROUNDWATER
- Groundwater Levels and Reported Flooding in the Tenmile Creek Area (see Water Quality Protection District for more information)
- Lewis and Clark Water Quality District Groundwater Data
SNOW
STREAMFLOW
- Dearborn River near Craig Streamflow Data*
- Ten Mile Creek Streamflow Data*
- Prickly Pear Creek Streamflow Data*
- South Fork Sun River Streamflow Data*
- Daily Montana Streamflow Data*
*Please note that ice can cause inaccurate water flow readings.
Contact Information
COUNTY AGENCIES
- Disaster & Emergency Services: 406-447-8285
Public Information Hotline: 406-447-1605
www.facebook.com/LewisandClarkCountyEmergency/ - Environmental Health: 406-447-8351
Drinking Water, Well Safety, Sewage, Septic Systems
www.facebook.com/LewisandClarkHealth - Public Health: 406-457-8900
Food Safety, Mold, Shelter Inspections, Disease Control
www.facebook.com/LewisandClarkHealth - Public Works: 406-447-8037
Road Repair, Bridge Repair, Culverts
www.facebook.com/LCCoGovernment - Sheriff's Office: 406-457-8235 (non-emergencies)
Evacuation, Traffic Control, Road Closures
www.facebook.com/lcsomt
PARTNERS
- Elkhorn Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD): 406-442-8244
Cleanup, Donations, Food, Shelter, Animal Care - Montana 2-1-1: 2-1-1, montana211.org
Mental Health, Food, Legal Services, Disability Services, Senior Services, Shelter, Medical Service - Rossiter Elementary School
www.facebook.com/RossiterParentCouncil/ - Valley Flood Committee
www.facebook.com/groups/1863713993925795/