New Portneuf River flood sign erected along Riverside Drive

POCATELLO — A new flood information sign for the Portneuf River that was provided by the U.S. Geological Survey was dedicated on Thursday at the stream gauge station located along Riverside Drive.

The new sign, which details flood information history, data, risks and more was unveiled and dedicated with Mayor Brian Blad in attendance along with members of the Idaho Silver Jackets, the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce and representatives from the National Weather Service.

“The sign itself is just another outreach product that the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners tried to get out there to better inform the public of what happens in their environment,” said Roy Bartholomay, Director of the U.S. Geological Survey. “In this case, we’re dealing with the Portneuf River system. The U.S. Geological Survey (oversees) measuring the amount of water flow through the river system. That is our mission. We’ve been measuring the flow here for 114 years and that information is very valuable for such organizations as the National Weather Service, to be able to make flood predictions which help people know when things are safe and not safe.”

The sign is fixed near the Millward Mile path that parallels Riverside Drive between Maplewood Avenue and Ravine Drive. The path is a popular walking destination for residents of downtown Pocatello. The sign is also near Sacajawea Park, a common area for Portneuf River flooding.

A QR code can be scanned on the sign which will lead to specific, up-to-date stream gauge information, which can educate the public on water levels, flow and statistical data. The sign also gives a fascinating history that goes back to the late 1800s and details events like the 1962 flood that ravaged much of Pocatello.

“We have a lot of people in Pocatello who say we don’t need this levee system,” Blad said. “I think when you come and you look at this sign, you can see the history of it and you can see how the water flows have been. It explains why this levee system is so important to our community.”

Blad continued, “Every time you have a flood it disrupts lives and disrupts the city functions. If we can keep the floods at a minimum, that’s going to be the best thing for the citizens and for the community as a whole. It’s extremely important to prevent any of the floods if we can.”

For information on the stream gauge located along Riverside Drive you can visit shorturl.at/pryHS or for information on Idaho rivers and other data you can visit usgs.gov/ .