Warm weather, rain fuel flooding along Mat River

BUTTE — Emergency responders are keeping a wary eye on the Matanuska River, which is running high and fast.

“The snow melting and the hot days that we’ve had during the daytime and the rain showers at night” are likely causing the rise in river levels, said Mat-Su Borough emergency manager Casey Cook. “Just a combination of snow melt and rain and warm summer days.”

The borough says fire officials knocked on doors in the Butte area warning of riverbank erosion. Sutton residents along the river also are affected.

A homeowner in Sutton lost 35 feet of land in two days, according to the borough. Erosion risk is highest from Miles 13 to 16 of the Old Glenn Highway and Miles 64 to 67 of the Glenn Highway in Sutton.

Cook said that, as of Thursday afternoon, no one has taken up the borough on its offer of sandbags. Thus far, he said homeowners have been unaffected.

The borough still has sandbags, if needed. About 1,000 bags are staged at the Butte Fire Station. The borough will provide the bags, but won’t place them. Sandbags can be picked up there or at the Central Landfill. There also are flood information packets at the Sutton Library and fire stations in Sutton and Butte. Anyone with questions or concerns should call the borough at 373-8800.

As for boaters, “Recreational users of the river should stay out of it,” a borough press release says. “The water is moving at 20,000 cubic feet per second as of Wednesday, June 20. Standing water rose 20 inches over a 26-hour period near the Maud Road area. Water has crossed over part of the bike path near Maud Road at the Old Glenn Highway.”

Rebecca Charles, who guides ATV tours up the Knik River, said that river is also remarkably high.

“My first tour was in late April when all the snow was melting. Usually, that’s a pretty deep part of the year,” she said.

But on a tour this past weekend, she said the water was even higher.

“It is significantly higher, feet higher at most crossings,” Charles said.

Cook said other rivers in the borough are indeed running higher than normal, but none has reached the flood or action stage.

Charles said creeks in the area are unpredictable and folks shouldn’t expect they can cross where they normally do.

“I’m kind of hoping people are going to use their brains,” she said. “Their recreation area is very dangerous right now.”

She said she suspects that’s what happened to a couple she helped save in the Jim Creek area Wednesday. Their pickup was under water and they’d stayed out in the rain all night. Charles gave them food, water and dry clothing, and hauled them out of the water. A guide came back to fish out the pickup.

“All of the creeks around Jim Creek are super high and everyone should use extreme caution this weekend,” Charles said.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.