Bitterroot Flooding Eases, but Still Concerns

Last Thursday and Friday, residents east of Florence got a frightening preview of what this year's runoff season could be like in the Bitterroot, as heavy rains and melting snows sent a torrent through some of the foothill areas. Monday those areas were drier, without the running and standing water. However, roads and yards are showing their damage, with streams bank full and signaling the hazards haven't gone that far away. Ravalli Co Emergency Management says they're still getting calls of minor flooding problems, but things have calmed down a bit... RON NICHOLAS/ RAVALLI CO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT "And it's not that the Three Mile and Florence areas aren't without their problems still. They still exist. But we're getting more calls from Hamilton south, in terms of some problems there. The same kind of problems that existed up in the Florence area, driveways, ditches overtopping, roadways having some problems." Monday's forecast had looked like a bear, with heavy rains along the Bitterroot Divide. But the actual rainfall through the day was lessened somewhat, and some of the precipitation at the higher elevations fell as snow instead of rain and that helped. But the Bitterroot River itself is a troublesome reminder of what's to come, with as much as 17-inches of fresh snow falling this weekend up in the peaks and weeks of rainy weather ahead. The county advises people to keep checking their properties and making preparations... NICHOLAS "I always look at it this way. The county does it's thing, the road department in particular, about checking culverts, checking ditches, checking bridges, and they do it daily. And I would suggest to the private owners that they do the same around their property if they have those things." DB STANDUP "So while today we didn't see a lot in the way of flooding it's still very early in the runoff season. And we'll be watching closely to see what happens in the weeks ahead. In the Bitterroot Valley, Dennis Bragg, MTN News.