Half mile long 'river glacier' poses flood threat in New Hampshire

NEW BOSTON, N.H. — A massive piece of ice more than eleven football fields long is threatening a New Hampshire community.

The 3,400-foot ice floe is blocking part of the Piscataquog River in New Boston, New Hampshire, prompting emergency plans from state officials.

“I call it a river glacier,” New Boston Fire Chief Daniel MacDonald told Boston 25 News.

He has been measuring the height of the ice bed on the Piscataquog Piver for days, and checking in with New Hampshire emergency management officials.

“Something like this we’ve never had in the town ever and a lot of people are interested in what’s going to happen here,” MacDonald explained.

The chief will send GPS data and photos from the drone to state environmental officials who will use it to create a risk assessment plan for the town, including a worst-case scenario.

“It could freeze into the river bed and cause flooding, backing up the river into the center of town,” he said.

“The river is right in my backyard, so I’m very aware of what the river is doing most of the time,” Stephen Young, with New Boston Hardward, said.

His store is in the flood zone and so is his home.

“Then I start getting concerned thinking what about my barn,” Young said.

Which is why first responders are making an evacuation plan, in case the threat increases.

“Mother nature is just one of those things, you have to wait and see, there’s no way to break this up, it can’t be done,” Chief MacDonald said.

Town officials are hoping the warm up in this weekend’s forecast will cause some melting, allowing the ice jam to safely break up.

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