Willow Creek flooding displaces residents

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     Photos courtesy of MSB

The flooding along Willow Creek near Hatcher Pass Road is continuing to concern Mat Su Borough emergency service managers.

Last week, a portion of Willow Creek jumped its banks, making a new channel, which flowed, with ice chunks, down subdivision roads.  The area is on Willow Fishhook Road, also called Hatcher Pass Road.  Borough EMS manager, Tom Smayda, reported that the creek had backed up, then overflowed. The flooding prompted evacuation of at least 2 homes in the area near Gina Road, Kelly Circle and Michelle Drive, just 4 miles west of the Parks Highway. The Red Cross was called in to assist families in need. Those people have since received help from Church groups.

Water and ice is still flowing across the road in the area at a pretty good volume for at least 50 feet. Smayda says that ice is still pushed up on the banks.  The ice and water is at least a foot deep in places.  It is impossible to get vehicles into the area.

Smayda and the Borough team are looking at all their options. The Natural Resource Conservation service has been called in to assist. They would like to find the blockage in the creek and remove it, however, it is an anadromous stream.  That adds a layer of complication to the situation.  Another complication is the problem with frozen septic systems in the area.

The Public Works department has cleared Deneki Road on the other side of the Willow Fishhook Road.  That area flooded from a different drainage at the same time.

The main creek has dropped to its normal summer level.  Smayda says he will continue to monitor the portion of the creek that has caused the flooding in hopes that in the next week it flows back into the main creek.  Meanwhile engineers and emergency services are coming up with options in case that doesn’t happen. Smayda says the fire department is monitoring the flooding every day. He says that everyone that was in imminent danger is out.  As usual, the Willow Fishhook Road is closed at the summit pass for the winter.