CLARK FORK — Historical flooding around North Idaho and Montana has triggered a county-wide flooding state of emergency in Bonner County due to various roads being washed out.  

Residents of Clark Fork have been ordered to evacuate following the flooding and closure of Lightning Creek Road and East Spring Creek Road. Bonner County Road and Bridge Department officials also urge residents to use caution when driving on Trestle Creek Road and Johnson Creek Road — despite being open, the roads are currently being worked on.  

Alternate routes of access to the area are limited, according to Bonner County Sheriff’s Office officials. People are encouraged to stay out of the area for ingress and egress of emergency services.  

"Although it is understandable to be curious and want to take a look at this action, we encourage would-be-onlookers to keep back and give space as the roads are currently incredibly unstable. Please be patient as we work to fix this issue,” county officials said.  

Residents located on — and roads connecting to — East Spring Creek Road, in addition to Lightning Creek Road, have been completely washed out. Concerns of additional rainfall are at the forefront of both officials, and residents, minds affected by the floods.  

Affected residents have been contacted and offered services to evacuate the area.  

Floodplains surrounding East Spring Creek are experiencing a “sheet of water” anywhere from two to 10 feet of water, one effected resident told The Daily Bee.  

“All of the backcountry is underwater. A lot of the residents have livestock, and now they’re just trying to find ground for the livestock,” said Clark Fork resident Kermit Kiebert. 

Kiebert further shared that the Clark Fork Bridge has been washed out.  

Trestle Creek resident Katie Millward additionally shared her concerns for the salmon that spawns at Trestle Creek every fall, worried that the flood water could potentially wash away salmon eggs. 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said the heavy rains have led to high inflows at the Albeni Falls Dam near Oldtown.

"Due to the high inflows, we are storing additional water in the lake beyond our typical winter band, which, through coordination with BPA, can be used later in the season for power generation," said Nicole Celestine, public affairs specialist with the USACE's Seattle District.

That operation does not require the use of the spillway and the USACE does not anticipate needing to manage the flooding event with the spillway gates, which are slated to be replace over the next several years due to structural defect in the steel used to construct them.

    Heavy rains have led to the flooding of Trestle Creek.