The quick melt caused by last Thursday’s warm temperatures triggered a flood at Byman’s Bend campground in Rock Creek.
There’s been a history of the property flooding during snowmelt over the years. Snow built up on the sides of the road leading to the bridge melts and runs back down the hill until it reaches the driveway of Kim and Rudy Byman.
It is the snow bank itself that prevents the water from draining to the ditch alongside the road.
Unless a channel is present to allow the melting snow to run off the road toward the ditch before it gets to the driveway, the area around the shop and carport will flood.
Rudy was away from home the day of the melt and Kim sent out a call for help shortly after noon.
Emcon Superintendent Dan Price and employee Bill Reagean showed up to help dig out channels through the snow banks on both the road and in the Byman yard.
Other neighbours and friends showed up to help as well. Derrick and Irene Harsch and Walter Siewert jumped in with snow shovels and Ron Flexhaug put his pickup-equipped snow plow to good use pushing the water out of the yard in the direction of the drainage ditch.
The warm weather left a lot of standing water at places along the highway too, raising the risk of hydroplaning or frozen patches later that night when the sun went down.