The water level in the Smoky Hill River has been gradually rising.

In Dickinson County the Emergency Management Director, Chancey Smith, said Tuesday there has been active sand bagging in Chapman, Abilene and Solomon. “They’re all doing active sand bagging around businesses and critical infrastructure to prepare for this water rising up and to keep the water out of it.”

Smith anticipated the water level for the Smoky Hill would be up over 30 feet. “When the water reaches 30 feet at the Smoky Hill River our county will be cut in half by the river.  It will be over every road through the county that we can’t get south of the river in our county without either going to Salina to 135 or to 77 Highway in Geary County.” Residents were advised to prepare for that possibility by getting their vehicles filled with fuel, purchasing groceries or medicines refilled.”

Smith noted many of the roads in Dickinson County have been wet for a long time so with water now running across them the roads are being taken out. “So if there’s a culvert there that culvert might not be there anymore. We’ve had several roads where the culverts are now gone and it’s an eight-foot hole with six inches of water on top of it. So it doesn’t look like much water. Don’t drive through water over gravel roads and roadways like that.

On Wednesday Smith said about 200 yards south of Sand Springs Road on Old Highway 40 water had eroded off about 20 feet of river bank. “The ballast actually from the railroad track was falling into the water. It was just a sheer cliff and under cutting under the railroad track. ” Smith added Union Pacific was notified and planned to bring in approximately 50 car loads of rock, large boulders, to put into the water to try and keep the tracks from going into the water.