Heavy rains have forced American and Canadian agencies to raise the water level at the Libby Dam to reduce flooding in Montana, Idaho and British Columbia.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the dam just north of Libby, is coordinating with BC Hydro to prevent flooding downstream along the Kootenai River after record amounts of rain fell in June. At Bonners Ferry, Idaho, in the heart of the Kootenai Basin, 5.2 inches of rain fell in June, 300 percent of the month’s average.
Officials on both sides of the border are warning communities to be prepared for potential flooding. Parts of southeastern British Columbia were already ravaged by flooding last week and, according to Canadian Broadcasting Corp., hundreds of people across the region were forced from their homes and one elderly man died.
According to a press release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the normal maximum elevation of the Koocanusa Reservoir, which sits behind the Libby Dam, is 2,459 feet. Now engineers are preparing to raise that maximum elevation by a foot and slow the flow of water downstream. As of June 29 the reservoir was sitting at 2,457.25 feet. According to spokesperson Scott Lawrence, the highest the reservoir has been filled was on June 18, 2006, when the water level hit 2,459.17 feet. Engineers say the extra foot will help them manage water levels downstream for the next few weeks.
“For the next couple of weeks we are still vulnerable to rain events,” water manager Kevin Shaffer said in a press release.
As of June 29, the Libby Dam was releasing water at 46,000 cubic feet a second and that level was expected to stay during the coming days.