HELENA — The Lewis & Clark County Floodplain Program announced this week the installation of a rain gauge in the headwaters of Cave Gulch, near Canyon Ferry Lake, to monitor precipitation on the Horse Gulch Fire burn scar.
“The installation of the rain gauge not only provides us with more information that can be used for emergency preparedness and response, but it gives us a better understanding of how the area will respond to precipitation.” said Worby McNamee, Lewis & Clark County Floodplain Administrator, in a news release.
Burn-scarred landscape can be susceptible to flash flooding because the land does not absorb the water and vegetation has been lost.
In September 2024, a rain event caused debris flows and washouts along Jimtown Road, which lies below the Horse Gulch Fire burn scar.
The installation of the rain gauge will provide real-time data on precipitation and more accurately predict when flood events might occur.
The Horse Gulch Fire burned an estimated 15,167 acres of land north of Canyon Ferry Reservoir and resulted in the evacuation of hundreds of area residents.
In the wake of the fire, many properties in or around the burn scar will be vulnerable to flood-after-fire events for years to come.
Lewis & Clark County has conducted flood-after-fire outreach to over 100 landowners to help them identify and mitigate the risk on their property.
