Crews begin efforts to protect Butte, Old Glenn Highway

Crews are beginning work to quell the rapid advance of the Matanuska River in the community of Butte.

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Matanuska-Susitna Borough public information officer Patty Sullivan says work began Tuesday.

“They felled all the giant cottonwoods; the trees are all down in a stretch there,” Sullivan said. “And the plan is that they’re going to dig a trench between the river and the power line.”

The trench will be up to about 20 feet deep and 525 feet long.

In the trench, Sullivan says crews will install a wall of armor rock to help shore up the embankment and protect it from the Matanuska River.

“Four hundred- to 800- pound rocks, they’re angular, they can be sort of keyed together and won’t move easily when pressure is applied,” she said. “The intent is deflect any water that might be pounding against it.”

Sullivan says there is a $1 million cap on funds from the state for construction. More money would require legislative approval.

While the borough and state have declared a disaster as the Matanuska River edges closer to the community, Sullivan says a breach of the embankment, currently, does not appear imminent.

“The water was still swift,” Sullivan said. “It did seem like a couple more feet had disappeared in one day, but there was still a good chunk of land preventing a breach.”

Sullivan says, at the narrowest point, around 120 feet of land separates the river from the road.

If an evacuation is necessary, a shelter will be established at the Seventh Day Adventist campground on Maude Road.