With a 50/50 chance that the Mississippi River will reach major flood stage by mid-April, the city of St. Paul has declared a local flood emergency in advance of anticipated spring flooding. For now, the declaration is mostly procedural, as it empowers the city to mobilize resources in a hurry if waters rise high enough to impact residents and infrastructure.
That’s still an “if,” but recent snowfall, ongoing snow melt and future precipitation likely will lead to some “significant spring flooding,” according to a written statement from St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s office. The river is expected to crest on April 17.
The Mississippi River, currently at about five feet, reaches minor flood stage in downtown St. Paul at 14 feet, moderate flood stage at 15 feet and major flood stage at 17 feet. In 2014 and 2019, it surpassed 20 feet. The highest crest ever recorded in downtown St. Paul was 26.01 feet on April 16, 1965.
A flood emergency declaration allows St. Paul Emergency Management to request and coordinate aid and resources from surrounding jurisdictions, including the Ramsey County Division of Emergency Management, the state of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It also allows the city to conduct immediate purchasing and contracting, and potentially qualify for federal reimbursement if a federal emergency is declared.
For updates, visit stpaul.gov/flood.
Stillwater officials monitoring the St. Croix’s rise
Meanwhile, Stillwater officials continue to keep a careful eye on the rising St. Croix River and National Weather Service’s forecasts.
Volunteers last week spent three days filling 35,000 sandbags to help with the flood-preparation efforts. Crews are now using the sandbags to build a 3- to 6-foot-high berm that will be 20 feet wide and a half-mile long, said Shawn Sanders, Stillwater’s director of public works. The berm, which should be done on Thursday, is constructed out of concrete jersey barriers and loose sand covered with polyethylene sheeting; the sandbags are used to hold down the sheeting and fill gaps, he said.
According to the National Weather Services’ seven-day Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, which is updated daily, the St. Croix River is expected to reach 80.9 feet in downtown Stillwater at 11 a.m. on April 12; flood stage is 87 feet.
The river is expected to crest the week of April 17, Sanders said.
“We should know a week in advance of when the crest is going to be,” he said. “The temperatures are going to start rising into the 50s and 60s, and there will be more runoff occurring. The river is going to start rising more than what it’s been.”
Once the river hits 85 feet, crews will need to pump the water over the berm from the storm sewer pumping manholes, Sanders said.
The city owns five pumps and has rented four additional pumps in anticipation of the flooding, he said.
