GREAT FALLS — The City of Choteau said late Wednesday morning that Spring Creek is flooding and out of its banks due to ice jams.
Officials say they are trying to keep the water contained and prevent it from crossing 3rd Street NE.
If you live in the affected areas, please take necessary action to protect your property. The city has a limited number of sandbags available. Please contact the City office (406-466-2510) if you need sandbags.
They added: "Hopefully icing conditions will subside as temperatures rebound."
The city also posted on Facebook on Tuesday evening:
This morning, January 14, 2020, around 10:00 a.m. the Spring Hill river gauge on the Teton River upstream of Choteau indicated icing conditions were occurring on the Teton River. In the January and November of 2019 shortly after similar indication, the ground water in Choteau rose significantly and quickly, inundating many basements and crawlspaces.
Additionally, approximately one and a half hours ago (7:00 p.m.), the Choteau Wastewater Treatment facility started experiencing marked increase of influent flows, indicating ground water was rising quickly and significantly.
If you experience basement flooding during November or January, 2019, it appears likely you may have similar experience in the next 24 hours. Please prepare accordingly. In the past, when the icing conditions on the Teton River subside, the ground water recedes to a lower level quickly. If you experience basement flooding, please contact the city of Choteau so we can document the event.
