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Jammed Kennebec and Saco Rivers Overrun Banks

February 02, 2010 - AUGUSTA -- A large ice dam on the Kennebec River sent floodwaters surging into parts of downtown Augusta on Tuesday. By evening, the ice pack had broken free and created a new dam downriver in Farmingdale, sending water into downtown Hallowell.

Ice dams formed on other Maine rivers as well, threatening to close a bridge in Fryeburg and posing a flood risk in several towns, state officials said.

Authorites first reported an ice pack floating down the Kennebec River near the Calumet Bridge at Old Fort Western just before 2 p.m.

Minutes later, the pack had crashed to a halt near Memorial Bridge and spread backward past the Calumet Bridge.

Water quickly backed up behind the jam, forcing the river over its banks and toward packed parking lots along Front Street in Augusta.

"It came up in about seven minutes," said Augusta Fire Chief Roger Audette. "There's nothing you can do. A flood at least you have more time to prepare, but an ice jam is so quick."

Water started to recede less than two hours after the jam formed.

Richard Beausoleil, director of the Kennebec County Emergency Management Agency, said officials were warning communities downriver. He had been monitoring the river for flooding after a storm Monday dumped up to 2 inches of rain across the state. The rain and temperatures in the upper 40s combined to rapidly melt snow.

Audette said property owners along Water Street in Augusta were notified of the flood via a reverse 911 system. All but two of the parked vehicles were moved before the river closed in.

The two remaining vehicles were submerged – including a Volvo station wagon with little more showing than the roof rack.

"I barely had time to get my car out of there," said Patricia Buck, owner of Patricia Buck Bridal.

Buck has owned the Farrell Building since 1993 and has grown accustomed to floods. Usually, though, the water rises much more gradually.

"It usually doesn't happen this time of year," Buck said. "When it comes in the spring, it doesn't come in this much."

The ice dam in Augusta finally let go around 6 p.m. and reformed in Farmingdale.

In Hallowell on Tuesday night, workers at the Wharf Tavern on Water Street told customers to leave when floodwaters entered the building.

By 9 p.m., floodwaters had backed up to the Augusta/Hallowell town line, said Robert Gardner of the Maine Emergency Managment Agency.

The National Weather Service is predicting a peak flood stage of 14.2 feet around 7 a.m. today. That's more than 2 feet above the flood stage of 12 feet, which typically would lead to minor flooding.

The weather service reported water levels at 17.7 feet Tuesday afternoon, but that figure may be misleading, Beausoleil said – ice could have jammed up against the sensor, causing a false report.

On Route 113 in Fryeburg, authorities Tuesday night were discouraging motorists from traveling on Weston's Bridge. An ice dam on the Saco River caused the river to come within 18 to 20 inches of the bottom of the bridge, Gardner said.

He said authorities planned to monitor the river overnight and decide in the morning whether to take steps to mitigate the situation.

"We are hoping it will not go any higher," he said of the water level.

In addition, the Sandy River on Tuesday reached flood levels in the Franklin County towns of Phillips and Fairbanks, Gardner said.

In Phillips, the river spilled over the banks and covered several small roads. Authorities closed the roads to traffic.

In Fairbanks, the ice was pushing up against the Fairbanks Bridge.

Authorities are waiting to see whether Maine will experience another day of warm weather or if temperatures will drop below freezing, Gardner said.

"If it freezes now, it just means we will deal with it in April," he said. "If it thaws now, there probably won't be much to thaw in April."

A kaleidoscope of ice protruded Tuesday afternoon across the top of the Kennebec. Tree limbs, ripped off by floating ice, rested motionless in the cracks and crevasses.

Trees lining the banks upriver clung by their roots as the ice pushed and pulled at them until the tops nearly touched the ground.

The ice was motionless, but it might not stay that way.

There is no way to know whether the ice will let go and cause more problems downriver, said Gardiner Police Chief James Toman, who came to Augusta get a firsthand look.

Smelters down river were warned to remove their shacks in case another wall of ice breaks loose.

"It's wait and see what kind of impact there will be, if any, in Gardiner," Toman said.


By CRAIG CROSBY, Kennebec Journal January 27, 2010


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