Water over some roads on Hi-Line

(See photos of flooding at Beaver Creek Park on Havre Daily News website)

Rain, expected to continue through this afternoon, has raised stream levels and put water over some roads and campgrounds in the area, but the Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator said this morning that the situation is not critical as yet.

“We’re just going to continue to monitor and enjoy the rain and watch the farmers with their permanent grins,” DES Coordinator Joe Parenteau said.

National Weather Service has continued its flood watch for the region through this afternoon, upgrading it to a flood warning in some areas and a flood advisory in Hill and Valley counties.

The rain has fallen steadily the last two nights and through most of Thursday — Havre received a record 1.42 inches Thursday — raising levels of streams and dams, creating flooding on one private road and water going over Beaver Creek Highway in Beaver Creek Park and flooding in at least two campgrounds in the park. Parenteau and officials from Blaine County, Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and Fort Belknap Indian Reservation said, however, they had not heard of extensive flooding as of this morning.

That compares to floods in 2010 and 2011 that led to presidential disaster declarations in the region, with some damage from those floods still not fully repaired.

Parenteau added that the high water in the last three years has helped, in some ways.

The deepening of creek beds has helped keep water from going over banks, and work done in Beaver Creek Park changing stream beds and strengthening banks has helped prevent flooding, he said.

Water was flowing over a private road between Bullhook Road and Beaver Creek Road, and had flooded Lions Campground and Fireman’s Campground in the park, he said.

Water was reported flowing over Beaver Creek Highway between Beaver Creek Reservoir and Bear Paw Lake Thursday, with calls reporting the flooding made to the Hill County Sheriff’s Office at 2:20 and 2:31 p.m.

That prompted National Weather Service to upgrade its flood watch to a flood advisory, reporting actual flooding, for Hill County.

Parenteau said the water over the road, Montana Highway 234, was due to runoff from hillsides, not flooding from creeks.

The flood watch still is in effect from Toole County south through Chouteau County to northeastern Cascade County, and east to the North Dakota border. Some areas, including parts of Fergus and Phillips counties, are in a flood warning and a flood advisory is in place for southern Valley County.

Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation issued a flood watch today, and reported rising levels in dams on the reservation.

Bonneau Dam jumped from an elevation of 3,186.32 feet at 7 a.m. Thursday to 3,191.46 feet at 7 this morning, but still was well below its spillway elevation of 3,200 feet.

Parenteau said the tribal water department had released some water from East Fork Dam on the reservation to maintain the storage capacity, adding that that discharge likely has already made it through Beaver Creek and into the Milk River.

Parenteau — and the Weather Service advisory for Hill County — warned people to stay out of any running water, on foot or in a vehicle.

“The biggest thing is just for people to be careful and … not to walk or try to drive through any flowing waters like that,” Parenteau said. “Just don’t put themselves in a situation they can’t get out of.”

The Weather Service forecast predicts the rain will taper off this afternoon and evening, with dryer weather expected Saturday.

People are asked to call law enforcement to report flooding, including calling 911 if it is an emergency situation. Otherwise, Parenteau said, people could call the sheriff’s office to report flooding in the county or the police department to report flooding in town.