Upper North Platte Valley Flooding concerns

With the rise of the rivers over the past few days, residents of the Upper North Platte Valley are worried. Flooding has occurred in Saratoga and Encampment in the past, the last time it became very serious was 12 years ago.  In 2010, peak flow was 16,100 cfm according to NOAA documents. In 2011, flow was 16,700 cfm, and in 2014 it was 14,700 cfm. Flood mitigation is always at the top of the list of concerns after a "real" winter spends it's time in the Valley. 

Saratoga Mayor Chuck Davis said that this year, although the snowpack is deep and the water is high, he isn't overly concerned. He said they are monitoring the river closely and are receiving updates regularly from Carbon County Emergency Management. Davis said the river had actually dropped a few inches and predictions are that "it's going to be OK, except for some flash flooding."

That being said, the Town of Saratoga is prepared for flooding. Davis said they brought in sandbags from the penitentiary, and found a large amount stored in the Carbon County Shop that had been covered. The Town is delivering them to various areas in town, however they cannot place sandbags on private property. There are also volunteers from the Mormon Church to place sandbags, and the Saratoga Fire Department has also volunteered to help. Lenny Layman, the Carbon County Emergency Management Director has it set up so that any excess sandbags from other areas will be brought to Saratoga. 

Davis said they recently took 400 sandbags and a dump truck full of sand to Encampment. 

Mayor Davis said they are keeping an eye on the bridges, checking for any debris that may be getting stuck. 

Saratoga Emergency Manager Tyler Christen said that because the temperatures in the mountains is still getting below freezing, it's helping to slow the melt off of snow, even with the warm temperatures during the day. He said the projections are that the river will stay where it's at, even 10 days outlook. Christen also checks the river daily. This weekend predictions are for rain, but snow is a possibility in the mountains, keeping temperatures below freezing. 

If you need sandbags, please call the Saratoga Town Hall at 307-326-8335 or the Encampment Town Hall at 307-327-5501.