Low water prevents river data collection

By Zachary Laux

North Platte River stakeholders are still waiting for field data collection from the Saratoga section of the river to move forward so they can better understand how to correct the river.

“There is not a whole lot to report on the river study because we are still waiting” for engineering companies to conduct studies, said Public Works Director Chuck Bartlett.

Stantec and Wildland Hydrology, the two engineering firms selected to study the river, have been waiting since May for the river to flow high enough to record data, Bartlett said. However, the river has yet to provide flow high enough for the firms to get accurate readings.

The data collected from the studies will help stakeholders understand why sediment in the river is not flowing correctly, and what actions need to commence to correct the sediment problem.

Bartlett said Stantec and Wildland Hydrology are still waiting for predicted rainstorms to provide conditions suitable for studying the river.

If the river does not get to the proper height within the next couple weeks, Stantec will move forward with other techniques to measure sediment levels, said Nathan Jean, river specialist for Stantec.

“There are mathematical methods in place of the actual physical measure,” Jean said. Those methods are not as thorough as physical measuring methods, but could be a suitable substitute.

The town of Saratoga and the Saratoga Encampment Rawlins Conservation District (SERCD) have set aside about $110,000, which will pay for the river study, Bartlett said. The next phase would be project design and actual construction to fix the river.

But the measuring has to be done first.

“In order to get something done, we got to get the testing done,” Bartlett said. “We got to get this first phase done before we can do anything.”

The next phase will include plenty of time for comment, said Glen Leavengood with SERCD. He said some people may object to the idea of fixing the river, but it is a project that has to be done.

The overall project has three goals – flow sediment through the river, create better fisheries and create a safer environment for boaters and other recreationalists.

“The District has been talking about this for several years because we knew there was a problem,” Leavengood said. “But it really came to the front when we had the floods in 2010 and 2011.”