Williams County Flood Concerns Drop

If you want to know what the weather has been like in Montana, just check the level of the Missouri River around Williston, according to Williams County Commissioner Wayne Aberle.

"When Montana gets warm, the river here goes up," Aberle said. "But right now, the river is going down. It's down about three feet, and the ice is out on either side of the Highway 85 bridge."

County officials are closely monitoring the flood potential. "We're keeping a watchful eye on it," said Williams County Communications Director Melody Mileur.

There were some concerns about township roads in the Trenton area, but for now, conditions have improved. That's good news for oil well sites and the trucks that service sites in the floodplain.  

Aberle said oil activity is picking up and so is truck traffic.

"The County Weight Enforcement Division was busy before the weight restrictions went into effect this week," Aberle said. "Now, they're even busier with overweight trucks."

Click here to see the Williams County Highway Department's frost law page.

Geoff Simon - Western Dakota Energy Association