By DENISE A. RAYMO
FORT COVINGTON — One month ago today, a stubborn ice jam in Fort Covington sent the Salmon River over its banks and forced evacuation of 15 homes.
Much has been learned, yet little has changed conditions on the river still choked by an 1,800-foot mass of 10-inch-thick ice between the Center Street Bridge and the American Legion Post on Water Street.
But an emergency-evacuation plan is written, a live camera feed and water-level measurements are supplied daily, and specialized equipment is ready when needed.
Town Supervisor Patricia Manchester called the Jan. 25 flooding a perfect storm of circumstances partly caused by the Town Council's removal of a dam with hopes of increasing sport fishing.
The removal deposited 48,000 cubic feet of sediment when only 1,000 cubic feet of silt was predicted.
Winter froze the shallow water and river bottom, causing thick ice to accumulate. And with no current to carry it off, the ice jam formed.
Ten inches of snow was on the ground at 7 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, and the temperature was 7 degrees, said Dave Werner, a National Weather Service observer in Malone.
By Monday, Jan. 25, at 7 a.m., only a trace of snow was left, temperatures had climbed to 50 degrees, and they peaked later in the day at 58 degrees.
Coupled with high winds and gusts up to 56 mph, conditions were right for flooding, he said.
Homes were evacuated for the night, and the water has been watched carefully since for any changes.
The average water flow over the Macomb Dam is 175 cubic feet per second.
"Think of it like a jug of water passing by every second," said Jon Elmer, general manager of Brookfield Renewable Power.
"On Jan. 25th, with all the rain and melting, there was high flow in the river. It's not unusual for that to happen, but there was a backup of ice in Fort Covington.
"That day, the water flow went from 175 to 900 cubic feet per second. That's four times the amount of flow there should be.
"It's not the first time it's happened, but the other times it happened without the ice. But with the ice there, there was nowhere for the water to go.
"It's not the flow that's the problem." Elmer continued. "People think we have got control of the flow, and that's not true. Two hundred cubic feet is our maximum flow, and we can regulate storage of water in the pond up to there, but when there is spillover, we have no control at all."
Warmer temperatures are expected for the next several days, said John Bashaw, deputy director of Franklin County Emergency Services.
"Down the road, we're supposed to have 15 days of 30, 32 and 35 degrees and cool nights. If that happens, the ice will melt a little at a time.
"What we don't need are four or five days of 45 degrees. But that's up to Mother Nature."
E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com
