HAMILTON- Floating the rivers are a right of passage for many in Western Montana.
While the rivers might look calm and inviting to the average person, below the surface there can be deadly currents from obstacles that can be caused by debris on top of the water like logjams.
On the Bitterroot River, there are several logjams that can come up fast for those on the river.
Logjams occur when trees or other debris compile sometimes over years. Logjams often have a strong current underneath the debris and trees that build up and erode the riverbed which makes the water deeper.
If a person floating the river, paddle boarding, or kayaking were to get caught in a logjam, it could turn deadly.
Ravalli County Sheriff Stephen Holton explained how river goers can spot a logjam before a day at the river can turn dangerous or deadly.
“You'll see a lot of trees and debris washed up in one particular spot generally on a bend in the river or places where trees have washed up and then they just started catching more debris that washing down mostly on the spring runoff,” Sheriff Holton said.
Logjams occur all over the river, and often times they’re hard to spot. But there are a few tips people can use that can keep an afternoon on the river safe.
“Recreate with people that are experienced, if your inexperienced find somebody with experience to go with you and kind of teaching you the ropes on having a good and safe day on the river,” Holton said.
MTN News reached out to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) to see how they manage logjams. FWP told MTN News that taking out a log jam is a case-by-case basis.
The log jams are also good for fish habitats, and with conditions changing so fast, it can be almost impossible to keep up with them.
