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FORT COVINGTON — A state of emergency will be declared in both Fort Covington and Franklin County to allow massive ice chunks to be removed from the Salmon River.
But it could be several weeks before the logistics of the removal are worked out, said Town Supervisor Patricia Manchester.
The declarations will give Highway Department work crews from the town and county the power to go onto private property to mitigate or eliminate the damage and danger associated with the 1,800-foot ice jam that's clogging the river.
OPEN THE WATER
The tentative plan is to clear ice just south of the Salmon River Post 1418 American Legion on Water Street to open more water there, then progress south toward the larger ice jam, said Emergency Services Director Ricky Provost.
The huge jam formed north of the Center Street Bridge between Salmon and Water streets and extends about a quarter mile to the Legion building.
A short area of open water there turns back into an ice blockade after about 200 feet, and the river is frozen solid to 10 inches thick from there right to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River.
WEEKS OF TENSION
Flooding occurred on Jan. 25, forcing 15 homes to be evacuated when surging water pushed tons of ice and other debris over the riverbank and onto lawns.
The impacted area is located mostly where tons of silt were deposited in July when the town removed an aging dam.
Estimates were that 1,000 cubic yards of material would be released with the removal, but about 48,000 cubic yards of sediments, silt and riverbank washed into the river instead.
PLAN OF ATTACK
The town has worked closely with County Emergency Services, which formulated an emergency-evacuation plan for if and when the next surge of water comes.
But in the meantime, the Town Council also wants to take what other pro-active steps it can to try to limit destruction.
The town and county highway teams will develop a plan of action to determine how tasks will be accomplished.
"This will be done slow and methodical," Manchester said. "We're not chopping (the ice) and moving it out. Nothing is going to be rushed.
"The water is flowing, so no water is backing up, and we hope to open a channel. The jam we have is not the problem. It's the one that could come. There is no place for the new one to go. This will be a meticulous, meticulous plan.
"It won't be done in a day or a week," she said. "It could take until the thaw comes."
ATTORNEYS
AT WORK
Town Attorney Richard Edwards and County Attorney Jonathan Miller are to draw up the paperwork that spells out the county's liability in assisting with the ice removal, stating that the town is the lead agency and that the county is working at its direction.
The county would loan Fort Covington two excavators, and a driver to run one of them, as part of the agreement.
E-mail Denise A. Raymo at;
draymo@pressrepublican.com
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