Crews hewing debris in Lightning Creek

CLARK FORK - Crews are chipping away at a massive clot of woody debris in Lightning Creek to protect the Highway 200 and Montana Rail Link bridges.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work Friday to remove woody debris in the channel to keep water from melting snowpack from pushing it downstream into the bridges. Panhandle snow levels are above average and officials are concerned a surge in the melt-off would clog bridge openings, which could damage the bridges or cause water to back up and flood the city.

The corps approved $255,000 in “advance measures” funding to remove debris in the channel and mitigate flood concerns.

A massive amount of trees and cobbles were deposited in the upstream creek channel during flash flooding in the fall of 2006.

Bob Howard, the county's director of Emergency Management, said corps crews are piling up the woody debris so it can be burned. Trees with intact root wads are being set aside so they can be used in habitat and river restoration projects in the area.

Howard said its still not clear how the tons of cobbles will be addressed.

“Right now our primary concern is the woody debris,” said Howard.

The flooding two years ago did $3 million worth of damage to U.S. Forest Service road and trail infrastructure in the Lightning Creek drainage, forcing it to be closed for safety reasons.

The Forest Service is seeking $2.5 million in federal transportation relief funding to restore about two-thirds of the afflicted roads and trails. A final decision on what routes will be restored is expected this summer, according to the Sandpoint Ranger District.