Work ongoing to repair flooding at Beaver Creek

Beaver Creek Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said the park took a pretty hard hit with flooding Wednesday, but he and his crews are out working to get roads and campsites ready for weekend recreation.

Edgar said a few small campsites and the Lions B campground were hit very hard, and other sites were flooded as well.

He said at least one road is destroyed and others took damage, but the park crews are working on them.

He said the culvert to Rotary Pond and the Jaycees campground withstood the flooding, so he expects the Rotary Father’s Day Fishing Derby Sunday will still occur.

He said the ground in the park is saturated with water and will be soft. Edgar asked that people be careful and try to avoid damaging the soft areas and respect the park and how soft it will be.

“We’re doing all we can so people can come out and enjoy our little gem,” he said, asking that people just be patient as they work to repair the damage and that visitors do what they can to avoid creating more damage in the soft ground.

Edgar said Camp Kiwanis received 3 inches of rain in the storm and he believed areas farther south received 6 inches, and the flooding occurred as that precipitation drained into the streams and flowed north.

Chippewa Cree Tribe officials closed access to areas in the Bear Paw Mountains, both on Beaver Creek and Big Sandy Creek.

Rusty Gopher, media relations officer for the tribe, said in an email this morning that The Chippewa Cree Tribe Natural Resources Department said the area will remain closed until a re-evaluation is completed Friday. The Chippewa Cree Tribe roads crew is assisting with blocking areas off for repair, clearing culverts and debris and filling areas with gravel and shale.

Watch for more in Friday’s edition of Havre Daily News.

Watch for more in Friday's edition of Havre Daily News.