On 30 April 2002 a jam on the
Stony River at Lime Village caused
major damage to the local water
treatment plant when ice from the
jam took out one of its walls. The
ice also caused a 300-gallon fuel
storage tank to tip, damaged the
sewer lines and runway, and caused
a couple of feet of flooding in the
water treatment plant. The town
was advised to boil all water as a
result of possible fuel contamina-
tion and flood conditions. Warm
temperatures and rain caused the
jam (DES 2002). The following
day the Sheep River at Talkeetna
released its ice, sending a surge of
water through the Clear Creek area;
only minor flooding was reported
(NWS 2002b, 2002c).
Figure 4. Ice jam locations in Alaska during WY 2002.
Eleven of Alaska's 16 jams
occurred during May when the ice
cover broke up on the rivers. Five
Total
Wisconsin
of these eleven events happened
Vermont
between the ninth and twelfth of
New Hampshire
the month. The Yukon and Kusko-
Nebraska
kwim Rivers each experienced two
Montana
reported ice jams.
Minnesota
The first May jam occurred on
Michigan
Maine
the Chatanika River at Chatanika
Illinois
on the first of the month; this jam
Colorado
caused major flooding as runoff,
Alaska
snowmelt, and recent rain over-
flowed the riverbanks, washing out
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
several portions of the Steese
Figure 5. States where ice jams most frequently occurred during WY 2002.
Highway near Mile 47 (NWS
2002d).
One week later, the Nushagak River at Ekwok caused major flooding, which damaged fish-drying racks, smokehouses,
town generators, houses, and the power plant. Two feet of water flooded several homes, and six families in a community of
135 people were evacuated. The jam also caused the power plant to be moved a half-foot off its foundation, forcing the use of
a backup power plant on higher grounds to supply power. The flooding also caused an oil spill when 55-gallon drums of used
motor oil were tipped over by floodwaters. The town's emergency response team, the Department of Environmental
Conservation, and the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation in Dillingham helped to clean up (Pemberton 2002).
On Thursday, 9 May 2002, the Tanana River near North Pole jammed along the Richardson Highway, flooding several
homes (NWS 2002e).
Between the tenth and twelfth of May the Kuskokwim River jammed in two locations as a result of warm weather, rain,
and snowmelt. At McGrath, the jam first formed upstream, releasing in the afternoon and then jamming a second time at
McGrath. This jam caused significant flooding (NWS 2002f). Downstream at Aniak, a similar scenario occurred when the ice
jam broke on 13 May, only to jam again less than an hour later. Here, the water overflowed the dike in four locations, causing
roads to flood (NWS 2002g).
ERDC/CRREL TN-03-1
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