All of the parties involved are working to develop a plan, should the situation worsen. In the meantime, the Old Town Fire Department is monitoring river levels every six hours at several points. Residents in Maine have grown accustomed to ice jams, which usually occur there every year. In fact, last winter another ice jam occurred just about three-fourths of a mile upstream from the current one. Ice jams form where river flow is reduced and ice starts to settle and build up on the river's bottom.
Water piles up behind the ice, essentially building a dam.