Rapidan Dam in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, is in “imminent failure status,” according to the county government’s official Facebook page.
According to a Facebook post, Blue Earth County Emergency Management noticed “debris buildup” at the dam on Sunday, and the dam is currently being monitored by the Blue Earth County Department of Public Works, Office of Emergency Management and the Sheriff’s Office.
“While we do not know whether it will fail completely or remain in place, we have determined that this notice is necessary to advise downstream residents, appropriate regulators and other local agencies,” the Blue Earth County government said in a Facebook post.
“The river has cut significantly west of the dam. Xcel Energy and county infrastructure have added to the debris in the river,” the county government said in a Facebook post. “We are aware of the outage and are working with Xcel Energy.”
The post also said the County Road 33 and County Road 90 bridges were being “closely monitored for debris flowing downstream” and may be closed.
According to the Blue Earth County government website, Rapidan Dam was built between 1908 and 1910 and is about 475 feet long, with the riverbed about 87 feet from the top of the dam to the riverbed.
In a separate Facebook post, Blue Earth County government officials said people in immediate danger from the Rapidan Dam have been notified, noting the dam is “currently intact” and that no evacuation orders have been issued for Blue Earth County residents.
Governor says crops, businesses, families will be affected
Gov. Tim Walz also reiterated that there is no need to issue evacuation orders for any large downstream communities, but acknowledged that the situation will affect crops, businesses and families. He said the state expects to request disaster assistance from the federal government if the situation worsens.
“The situation is rapidly evolving and it’s going to become very dangerous,” Gov. Walz said Monday at a Democratic Governors Association press conference in Minneapolis. “I repeat: if a road is closed, it’s closed. Do not detour. If there is water across the road, do not cross. If you are monitoring local events, this is happening within the next few hours, so if you are asked to evacuate, evacuate.”
He said experts expect the river to reach flood levels of 20 feet by the end of the week, higher than the 17 feet considered a major threat.
“That hasn’t happened yet, but we will likely see more road closures and we will have to start assessing the damage,” he added.
Location of Rapidan Dam
Storms expected across the Plains, flooding likely to continue
Across the Northern and Central Plains, areas hit by record flooding over the weekend are under threat from rising rivers as floodwaters move downstream and more rain is forecast for this week.
Scattered, fast-moving showers are expected to hit the region early this week, before more organized thunderstorms bring heavy rain by Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
Parts of the region received a month’s worth of rain in just 48 hours last week. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, saw 6.33 inches of rain fall between Thursday and Saturday, bringing the total to 10.8 inches so far in June, according to AccuWeather.
“So much rain has fallen across southwest Minnesota, northeast Nebraska, northwest Iowa and southeastern South Dakota, causing multiple rivers to overflow,” said Alex Sosnowski, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.
Monday’s forecast:Extreme heat hits central US; flood threat persists in Iowa, Plains
North Mankato, Minnesota declares flood emergency
The city of North Mankato, Minnesota, declared a flood emergency Monday morning as city crews build a temporary earthen levee at the intersection of Lookout Drive and Lee Boulevard, city officials said in a Facebook post.
“These efforts are in response to a possible Rapidan Dam failure and to protect the City of North Mankato,” city officials said on Facebook. “Additional road closures will be implemented if necessary.”
City officials said river levels were quickly becoming dangerous and that staff were “continuously monitoring river levels and the safety of North Mankato.”
The Blue Earth County Department of Public Works, Office of Emergency Management and Sheriff’s Office are scheduled to hold a press conference at 9 a.m. local time Tuesday to share more information about the dam’s status and the impact to the community.
Minnesota Flood Watches and Warnings
Contributors: Christopher Kang and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, Samantha Woodward, S.C. Times.
Gabe Haouari is a national trend news reporter for USA Today. You can follow him on X. Gabe Haouari Or email me at Gdhauari@gannett.com.
