Miles City FRM News

Miles City Flood Risk Management Project, Miles City, MT

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District held a public meeting on October 17, 2017 in Miles City, Montana to discuss the initiation of a flood risk management feasibility study.

Project Name: Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers, Miles City, Montana Flood Risk Management Study
Location: Miles City, Montana
Authority: Section 205 of the Flood Control Act of 1948, as amended
Sponsor: City of Miles City
Current Phase: Feasibility

The city of Miles City (non-federal sponsor) has partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Omaha District) on a study to evaluate possible flood risk management solutions along the Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers in Miles City. The project area for this study includes Miles City, the right bank of the Yellowstone River from upstream of the water treatment plant to downstream of the wastewater treatment plant, and both banks of the Tongue River from upstream of Interstate 94 to the Yellowstone River confluence.

There is a long history of flooding in Miles City, including major events in 1881, 1944, 1969 and 2011. Miles City, which is situated at the confluence of both the Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers, is threatened by flooding from both rivers and considered one of the most flood-prone communities in Montana. Miles City also has the highest number of ice-jam related floods in the state. Over 80 percent of the city limits are located within the 100-year floodplain and therefore flooding presents numerous risks to public safety and infrastructure.  

The purpose of the Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers flood risk management feasibility study is to identify the potential for developing flood risk management solutions, which could be structural and/or nonstructural, that are beneficial to the public, economically viable, and environmentally acceptable.

Project Update: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with the Custer County-Miles City Steering Committee and KLJ, held a public meeting on October 17, 2017 to gather input on the recently initiated flood risk management feasibility study. Input on the study can be emailed to cenwo-planning@usace.army.mil.