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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Heavy Rain, Melting Snow Swell Montana Rivers, Causing Flooding

Associated Press

Heavy rains again Wednesday and continuing melting of snow have rivers statewide running high and muddy - or worse.

Flood warnings were in effect for the Yellowstone River from Livingston to Miles City, the Missouri near Toston and also from Cascade to Landusky. Flood warnings also were in effect for the Gallatin, Jefferson and Big Hole rivers in southwestern Montana and the Clark Fork, Bitterroot and Rock Creek in western Montana.

A storm that dumped up to 4 inches of rain in scattered areas between Big Timber and Columbus Tuesday caused the Yellowstone to spill across Montana 78 south of Columbus with 8 inches of water Wednesday, said Tom Kelly, emergency services director for Stillwater County.

“Yesterday (the river) was 4 inches below the road and today there’s 8 inches on the road,” he said, but the road remained open.

The rise in water at Columbus is not matched downstream in Billings. “Somewhere between Columbus and Billings the water is spreading out on the flood plain,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of low-lying flooding,” he said. “It’s a whole lot of inconvenience to a whole lot of people. We’re just weathering the storm like everybody else.”

Sweet Grass County commissioners issued an order closing the Yellowstone River and its tributaries for recreational use. U.S. 191 north of Big Timber was flooded in a construction zone.

Upstream in Livingston, the Yellowstone devoured enough bank so that Charlie Lakovitch’s septic tank fell some 20 feet into the river, disintegrating on impact, said Park County Planner Ellen Woodbury.

“There’s some nasty stuff in this water,” she said in warning residents to stay out of the floodwater without protective clothing.

Mary Jo Wagenmen, Park County DES director, said several people were treated for flood-related illnesses last year. County nurse Suzanne Brown said people should make sure they have had a tetanus shot in the last 10 years.

She also warned of other health concerns. “I certainly wouldn’t eat anything from gardens that have been flooded out,” she said.

The Yellowstone was less than 2 feet above flood stage at Livingston and a foot above flood stage at Billings and Miles City.

The rain-swollen Missouri River was causing problems for folks from Cascade to Landusky.

Cascade County opened its Emergency Operations Center at noon Wednesday, after heavy rainfall caused rivers and streams to rise to flood stage or higher.

The center reported isolated private property damage. One residence at Ulm, another on Lower River Road south of Great Falls and six homes near the Dearborn River were threatened by rising water, county disaster officials said.

They said the Missouri at Cascade had risen 1.2 feet since Tuesday and was predicted to rise another 1.5 feet over the next few days.

The river remains open to recreational use.

“We are stressing to everyone that there’s a lot of debris floating, and it’s even more powerful than it usually is,” said Craig Flentie of the Bureau of Land Management in Lewistown. “We are advising people that if they go to be cautious, be attentive, and be really aware of the force of the water and the debris in the water.”