April 18, 2023 |
Photo – Flooding in Elk Mountain – Courtesy Brett Larson Town of Elk Mountain
Elk Mountain experienced the first flood of the season.
Melting snow created a dam on the Hadsell Slough, a shallow river, which runs through the north part of town. Water overflowed the banks and flooded the immediate area. The Elk Mountain public works department worked with Wyoming Department of Transportation crews to reopen the slough and prevent more flooding.
Elk Mountain Cemetary District Commissioner Brett Larson witnessed the high water. He said he was alerted to the flooding on Sunday evening.
Larson said it was “all hands on deck” to prevent more water from spilling out of the slough. He said sandbags and inflatable barriers were used to fight the flood in two separate locations.
Larson said he was out past midnight trying to contain the water. He said 7 or 8 homes were affected by the flood.
Despite the recent warmer weather, Elk Mountain still has several feet of snow in certain areas. The shallow Hadsell Slough had a covering of snow that collapsed into the water and created a dam. Larson explained how the shallow banks quickly overflowed and caused water to race into town.
Larson said it seemed like every time the town stopped the flooding in one area, another part of the slough would spill over. WYDOT and Elk Mountain public works crews have been fighting the heavy snow to open the slough back up.
WYDOT Public Relations Specialist Andrea Staley said crews have the situation under control. She downplayed the severity of the flood.
Carbon County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman agrees with Staley’s assessment. Layman is acting as Elk Mountain’s public information officer during the event. He said the town is comfortable handling the water using the resources it has on hand. Layman said there was, “No damage. Just wet yards”. The Emergency Manager said he is prepared to bring the full force of the county to bear, if things get out of hand.
Larson isn’t reassured by WYDOT or the Office of Emergency Management. He said so much water, this early in the season, is a sign of bad things to come.
Larson provided pictures of the high water to Bigfoot99. Visit our Facebook page or bigfoot99.com to see the aftermath of the Hadsell Slough flood.
