Heavy rain causes water issues, delays in dam work
Water spilling over and around the remains of the Flower Creek Dam is causing delays in work and issues at the water treatment plant, but does not pose a serious public safety risk, Libby City Administrator Jim Hammons said.
The water’s turbidity, the amount of various particulates in the city’s drinking water, has prompted city officials to issue a boil warning for all city water users.
Particulate levels in water are measured by Nephelometric Turbidity Units, or NTUs. Turbidity is, essentially, the cloudiness or haziness of the water caused by particulates and other contaminants.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality requires a boiling alert to be issued by municipalities in the event water reaches a level of 5 NTU. Libby’s water at the treatment plant exceeded that level at approximately 9:30 a.m. Monday, triggering the required alert.
Hammons said the turbidity of the water is likely a combination of construction and high spring runoff levels stirring up more particulates in the water than can be easily processed at the water treatment plant.
Hammons said a similar situation occurred due to runoff last year, although there wasn’t construction involved, the ground was frozen solid so water wasn’t readily absorbed into the ground, which led to higher-than-normal water flows and increased turbidity.
He said he anticipates the boiling alert will only last a couple of days, but that is all dependent upon the amount of rain.
“This all depends on the rain, but we’re hoping to be out of this by Wednesday or Thursday,” Hammons said.
As relates to the flooding and the stability of what remains of the Flower Creek Dam, Hammons said this situation was expected. In fact, he added, “it was a bid item in the contract.”
Hammons said the water levels look extremely high right now, but that is mostly due to the fact the dam has been cut down by approximately 30 feet. Hammons expects the water levels to dissipate quickly and for construction to resume.
“It’ll drop pretty quick,” he said. “Then the crews will bring in the pumps and get the water drained and get back to work.”