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Officers responded to a man on a raft near Black Eagle Dam (video)

Officers tried to coax him out of the water
Posted at 9:04 PM, Sep 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-07 23:12:13-04

GREAT FALLS — Law enforcement officers responded to Black Eagle Dam after receiving reports that a man on a makeshift raft was on the river.

KRTV was notified at about 4:25 p.m. on Saturday. It appeared that the man on the raft did not want any help and was in no apparent distress, but officers worked to coax him out of the water due to his proximity to the dam.

NorthWestern Energy says that recreating near dams can be very dangerous, and highlights several hazardous possibilities :

  • Swirling water and strong underwater currents at powerhouse intakes
  • Sudden unannounced water discharges from auto-operated sluice and trash gates
  • Strong and swift currents over and below spillways
  • Turbulent and sudden discharges from auto-operated generators
  • Slippery surfaces on ledges, waterfalls and structural parts of the dams
  • Strong, deceptive upstream flow in surface waters below the dams and waterfalls
  • Submerged hazards above and below dams

As of 8:45 pm, the scene has been cleared, and there are no officers in the area.

We do not yet know if the man was taken into custody, nor do we know his identity; we will update you if we find out.