Musselshell River History

Flooding on the Musselshell

 

In 2011, a combination of snowmelt and rain resulted in historic flooding along all reaches of the Musselshell.  At its height, floodwaters reached two feet higher than the previous record flood in 1967. Roads and highways disappeared under water, fences were swept away, livestock drowned, the old abandoned Milwaukee Railroad grade that had served as a dike in past floods was breached in many places, and more than 50 homes were destroyed.  Floodwaters remained standing on fields and in borrow ditches for 45 days, killing the vegetation it covered.  The river environment was dramatically altered by the 2011 flood, as more than 35 miles of the river's length was lost due to cut-offs (avulsions) across oxbows.

​

Ice jams and unusually warm temperatures in March 2014 resulted in the second 100+ year flood event in 3 years on the upper and middle Musselshell.  Rain in August at the lower end saw the flow rate of the river near Mosby increase from 150 cfs to 20,090 cfs in two days. 

 

Chris Boyer of Kestrel Aerial flew and photographed and videoed the August 2014 flood.  Photos of the flood are here

Check out the video of the August 2014 flood

​

In 2018 high snowpack caused more flooding. These flood waters while not as high, stayed at flood levels for much longer. This caused just as much if not more damage than the 2011 flooding. For more info check out the Prairie Populist article Resiliency on the Musselshell River.

​

An update on RATT and the 2018 flooding written by Applied Geomorphology, Inc.'s Karin Boyd was just released. Boyd details how recent floods have cause bank erosion, channel widening, and an increased number of avulsions. The report also describes the circumstances that made the 2018 floods so devastating. Finally Karin Boyd explains updated BMPs along the Musselshell moving forward. Click here for the full presentation. 

​

Also, make sure to check out our water history of the Musselshell, "Drought, Flood, Saving, and Sharing"