The town of Libby was under a flash flood watch Monday, this time due to a threatened dam south of town. Emergency managers say last week’s rainstorm drove powerful waters that damaged the Lower Flower Creek Diversion Dam.
Managers are releasing water from behind the structure to relieve some of the pressure and prevent a failure. If a failure happens, parts of town could once again experience minor flooding. The release is set to run through Wednesday afternoon.
Lincoln County flooded during last week’s atmospheric river event, and more rain is expected to fall this week. Nick Holloway with the Western Montana All-Hazards Incident Management Team says the primary concern now is expected high winds through the middle of the week.
Gusts up to 65 miles per hour could knock down trees and powerlines already destabilized by the flooding.
“We’re very concerned about that,” Holloway told MTPR in a phone interview. “If we can get past this weather event coming in unscathed, or relatively unscathed, I think we’ll be looking good.”
The county says a separate dam that holds back the Upper Flower Creek reservoir is not at risk of failure.
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An atmospheric river flooded Libby and Troy this week. Several bridges washed away and some homes were damaged. The water is receding and county officials are still assessing the damage. -
Heavy rains brought severe flooding to northwestern Montana, flooding homes and washing out several roads and bridges. Lincoln County declared a state of emergency Thursday. The City of Libby has issued a boil water order for all users on the city water system.
