In June, historic flooding washed out bridges and roads and caused severe property damage in several areas of Montana. The National Guard was called in to assist with rescues of stranded recreationalists and other members of the public, including small children. Yellowstone National Park was forced to close.

NorthWestern Energy crews worked around the clock, safely, to monitor flood damage, make repairs, and restore service. 

“The dedication of NorthWestern Energy’s employees to get the power back on in Montana communities and Yellowstone Park experiencing extreme flood damage was remarkable,” said NorthWestern Energy CEO Bob Rowe. “They kept our customers and their co-workers safe while working in harsh and challenging conditions. Their response during this natural disaster contributed significantly to flood recovery.”

More than 400 homes in Carbon County, Mont.\ were evacuated during the flood, which severely damaged or destroyed more than two dozen residences and businesses and washed out or damaged 13 bridges. Two of the three 50 kilovolt transmission lines that feed the Red Lodge community, population 2,260, were washed out in the flood, causing the community to lose power. Crews successfully placed a pole about 100 feet from the flooded riverbank and restored power to the community less than 10 hours later.

Flood damage also caused an outage on NorthWestern Energy’s 69-kilovolt transmission line serving Yellowstone National Park and communities north of the park. Highways and roads were closed due to flooding, rockslides, and washed out bridges. The town of Gardiner,at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park, was completely isolated. Visitors who left when the park closed through the north entrance had to stop in Gardiner (already crowded with visitors), along with residents. Everyone pitched in to help take care of the stranded visitors, who appreciated the kindness.

A helicopter flew seven NorthWestern Energy crew members, along with tools, equipment, and materials, into the area. A contract line crew that had been working in Gardner pivoted to help repair the line. Crews flew back in the following day, completing repairs and restoring power.

That evening, a highway opened for emergency traffic and NorthWestern Energy crews retrieved their vehicles.

Floodwaters also washed out a bridge down stream of NorthWestern Energy’s Mystic Dam project, preventing two of the three journeyman plant operators from getting to the site. The Mystic Dam project, a 12 megawatt generation resource, is located 7,600 feet high in the rugged Beartooth Mountains. The journeyman on-site hiked 2 miles up the mountain in the storm to pull dam flash boards to prevent overtopping at the dam because of remaining ice on the water, debris, and quickly rising reservoir elevation. A helicopter transported the other two journeyman to the site.

Mystic Dam operated as designed with no risk to its integrity and it kept water levels downstream managed. Without NorthWestern Energy’s Mystic Dam, Stillwater County, Mont.’s flood impact, which was severe, would have been considerably worse.

“Our employees show up every single day ready and willing to do what it takes to deliver reliable energy to our customers and the communities we serve safely. They worked closely with Yellowstone Park, and with the affected communities down-river. Their work during the June flooding in Montana is an example of their commitment,” Rowe said. “As was the great work of our South Dakota employees only several weeks later in response to severe wind events.”

EEI’s member companies are committed to providing reliable electricity service. NorthWestern Energy’s quick work and ability to overcome challenges exemplifies the dedication of electric companies to ensure customers can access the electricity they need to power their lives.

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