Update given on Milk River Levee project

Local residents heard an update on county plans to upgrade the Milk River Levee so it meets Army Corps of Engineers standards including a plan to create a new funding district to pay for the work.

Jeremiah Theys of Great West Engineering, the company working on the project for the Hill County government, said the estimated cost of the project is $2.5 million with the county already committing $850,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to start working on it.

He said a proposal to fund the project is to create a new district, which would include buildings in the northern part of Havre as well as the unincorporated community of North Havre. The district would result in an estimated average of $75 a year per parcel over 20 years to fix the levee.

After inspections in 2014 and 2015, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the levee did not meet their standards. Problems with the levee include structures being built too close or against the levee and trees growing on it, as well as encroachments on the levee by the railroad, which says it has original right of way on the space, Theys said.

If the levee — construction on which was started in 1955 and completed in 1957 — isn’t certified by the Corps, people determined to be in a floodplain will be required to buy flood insurance, a significant financial hit for many in the community.

Theys said the levee was built after three major floods in the area, one in 1908, one in 1938 and one in 1952, shortly before construction began.

The floods covered much of northern Havre in the flood plain as well as North Havre. Theys said the 1938 flood resulted in 10 deaths and destroyed 40 buildings.

He said aside from the damage and danger of a flood if the levee weren’t there, not having it certified would have a major financial impact.

People living in the flood plain would be required to have flood insurance, which could cost homeowners $600 to $800 a year and could run into the thousands for businesses. Some buildings in the worst part of the flood plain might not be insurable, he added.

And if it did flood, Theys said, it could have major impacts with flooding at the Havre Water Treatment Plant and the BNSF Railway yards in addition to the basic inconvenience and danger of flooding.

Bear Paw Development Community Planner Susan Brurud said it also would create problems with lack of access to downtown businesses and services and to locations like City Hall and the County Courthouse.

Theys said the Milk River Levee actually is not in bad shape, and the projected $2.5 million cost is relatively low — a major rebuild could cost $100 million or more.

He said Glasgow and Miles City are both in a very bad situation with their levees.

Miles City is looking at having to find $50 million to work on its levee, he said.

He said the Havre flood control system is quite complex, part of which leads to the need to create a new district.

The Bullhook flood control system that starts south of town is included in city assessments each year for operation and maintenance, but the Milk River Levee, which protects both North Havre and buildings in the city, is paid for through a district that excludes Havre.

Theys said the proposal is to create a new district that includes all property in the flood plain and to assess all properties to pay for the work on the levee.

He said improvement districts cannot be amended or added to, which would require ending the existing Milk River Levee district and creating a new one.

The group talked about how to raise awareness for the need of the levee and improvements, including creating a new district, such as using social media and through taking people to the levee itself. They discussed a proposal to add the levee to a walking path in and around Havre and maybe taking groups for tours on the levee.

The levee could become a popular sight for walking, fishing access and so on, they said.

“If you had a parking area and a groomed trail or, even, it would be nice to have a paved trail on it,” it could become a popular site, Theys said. “That’s kind of separate from this but there is an opportunity.”

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson, who said he has learned more about levees in the last few years than he ever wanted to, said if people want to know more they can contact the commission.

“If you’ve got a question, I’ll find the answer,” he said.

Audience member Chuck Lowen said it seems like the cost is cheap for the benefit.

“It seems to me that to protect our city, 75 or a hundred dollars a year isn’t much,” he said. “You could cut back on (buying) a pair of shoes.”