Preparations begin as Mississippi River flood waters are on the way

Apr. 18—WABASHA, Minn. — At some point late Friday, if the National Weather Service is correct, the waters of the Mississippi River will crest in Wabasha at about 15 feet, 9 inches. That's well into the "moderate flooding" level for the city and just 3 inches from the point where the flooding is categorized as "major."

Things will be worse in Red Wing, where the waters are expected to rise nearly a foot-and-a-half above the major flood stage level of 16 feet late Friday and early Saturday, with Lock and Dam 3 upriver seeing the waters go 3 inches above "major flooding."

Water levels have gone so high that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District closed Lock and Dam 4, near Alma, Wisconsin, Monday, April 17, to all commercial and recreational traffic due to high Mississippi River water levels. The Corps expects navigation through Lock and Dam 3, located near Welch, Minnesota, to close by Wednesday, April 19. The locks are projected to be closed for around a week, but the exact timing will depend on the river levels and when it is safe to resume navigation.

Wabasha County Emergency Management Director Brenda Tomlinson said

minor to moderate flooding

is almost an annual occurrence along the Mississippi River along the Wisconsin border. Snow melt in the region usually brings an influx of waters this time of year. So do a couple of major tributaries — the St. Croix River roughly 10 miles above Red Wing and the Chippewa River right above Wabasha — that dump their water into the Mississippi.

"Almost every year the Mississippi floods to some degree," Tomlinson said. "Last year was one of the few where it didn't."

While the flooding is somewhat inevitable, the damage doesn't have to be, Tomlinson said. Over the years, Wabasha County has moved buildings from flood-prone areas and made green spaces where the minor to moderate floods happen so that the waters don't cost money.

For those who still worry about their property, Tomlinson said the county offers sandbags for purchase, and there's a sand prairie near Wabasha where those bags can be filled to take home and pile up along low-lying areas.

Despite the forecast along the river, Tomlinson said this year won't be so bad because, according to the NWS, a drought last fall means a lot of the "snow melt north of us has been absorbed into the ground."

Not that there aren't areas of concern. The lower level at Slippery's Bar & Grill in Wabasha usually is threatened by floodwaters. In Lake City, where the waters are expected to crest about 4 inches above the bottom of the "moderate flooding" range, the homes near the marina are on the cusp of the water line, and roads in that area along the river are often closed for safety.

Preparations for spring flooding began in earnest about three weeks ago, said Alex Le, who oversees the lock and dam system on the Upper Mississippi River for the Corps of Engineers.

That work includes providing sandbags and pumps for cities that request help and providing materials at Lock and Dam 5A. The Corps has also worked with the NWS to monitor snow and ice conditions and provide computer modeling predictions.

"We work pretty closely with them," Le said. "We had meetings all the way back in to January."

Part of the work includes monitoring the major Upper Mississippi tributaries such as the St. Croix River, Chippewa River and Minnesota River. Le said while river forecasts for this weekend predict a top five event in Winona and top 10 events in Wabasha as well as upstream in St. Paul, things could be much worse.

For example, the Chippewa is on a downward trend with water flow, Le said, and there is still a lot of snowpack at the headwaters of the Mississippi and in the Minnesota River basin. That, Le said, means the bulk of the snowmelt waters will come at different times to the Upper Mississippi River.

Other organizations are also preparing for flooding this weekend. The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Winona District urged boaters to take caution in the coming days.

"Boaters should be vigilant as flood waters will have significantly changed conditions at traditional access, camping, and day-use sites," the organization noted. "Excessive current, turbid water, and submerged and floating hazards should be expected in the river over the coming days."

The Refuge also noted that boat ramps between Wabasha and Trempealeau, Wis., may be closed due to flooding. Questions regarding the availability of boat ramps can be addressed by calling the Refuge at 507-454-7351.

Meanwhile, in St. Paul lawmakers are getting ready for the aftermath. State Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, authored a bill that

allocates $40 million to replenish the state's Disaster Assistance Contingency Account,

which expedites assistance to communities burdened with damages to public property and infrastructure like roads, utilities, and public buildings.

The bill, passed unanimously in both chambers, was signed by Gov. Tim Walz.

Tomlinson said public infrastructure items, particularly stormwater sewers and wellheads for drinking water, are always a concern when flooding occurs.