April 21, 2009 -- River on the rise: Officials forecast even higher water in coming days

The Morning News / David Kennard

Mario Martinez of Blackfoot spends a sunny afternoon at the water’s edge near Twin Bridges park on the Snake River west of Blackfoot. The river has been rising as warm temperatures melt snowpack in the high country.

By David Kennard
dkennard@cableone.net

BLACKFOOT — If you’ve driven across any of the bridges west of town recently you’ve seen some pretty high water.

Spring thaw in the high country has sent water into tributaries and reservoirs at the headwaters of the Snake River.

As reservoirs fill, water managers are forced to release water so they can accept more snowmelt.
Forecasters are calling for more warm weather in the valley in coming days, but said temperatures will remain cold during the night, which will slow the release of water.

National Weather Service officials said Friday they expect the Snake River in Blackfoot to rise to 9.63 feet sometime on Sunday. The river is considered to be at flood stage when it reaches 10 feet.

At the current rate, local residents could see water in low lying areas in the next few days, but NWS forecasters said they expect river levels to drop slightly at the beginning of the new week.

The National Weather service monitors the water level remotely from a United States Geological Survey station near the twin bridges west of Blackfoot.

Similar stations are located all along the river.

The stations help water managers determine how much water to release from local reservoirs to both keep the water in the channel and keep the reservoirs as full as possible heading into the hot summer months.