Sandbar removal complete, river flows to increase

WORLAND — Taking just under three weeks, the removal of the sandbar in the Big Horn River north of the U.S. Highway 20 bridge is complete.

McClellan and Macqueen of Worland completed the project Wednesday.

Washakie County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director Jeff Schweighart said, “On behalf of Washakie County and the City of Worland, I would like to thank our community for their patience with the truck traffic during the project and the [Rotary Riverside] park closure for this project.”

He added that he also appreciated the coordination between all agencies involved including the Wyoming Bureau of Reclamation, Wyoming State Engineers Office and the area irrigations districts who allowed the river flows to be restricted for the project.

“It was a whole community effort in ice jam mitigation and prevention to deter future flooding events for us,” Schweighart said.

With the completion of the project, the Bureau of Reclamation will begin discharges from Boysen Reservoir. Schweighart said increases were to begin at midnight today for a total increase of 1,000 cubic feet per second from 1,100 to 2,100 cfs. The 2,100 cfs discharge will remain until further notice.

Schweighart noted that Boysen Reservoir is at 98 percent full.

The increase discharges will reach Worland in about 18 hours, about 6 p.m. tonight.

“That sweep or increase will help us flush the remaining sandbar sediment and flush it off the bedrock bottom,” Schweighart said.