Sen. Klobuchar, St. Paul Mayor Carter give Mississippi River flooding update
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Mississippi River in St. Paul continues to rise, flooding parks and low-lying roads.
On Sunday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar was briefed on the flooding situation alongside Mayor Melvin Carter and Ramsey County officials.
They met at the flooded Harriet Island Regional Park, where visitors have been coming to check out the high water level.
"Crossing the bridges going to and from places, and you can see the water getting higher and higher," said St. Paul resident David Jones.
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The river is still expected to rise another foot or so, cresting at 18.8 ft. by Thursday, according to the latest forecast Sunday evening.
"Floodwalls have been built, levees have been put in, and we're just able to handle this better," Sen. Klobuchar said.
Both St. Paul and Ramsey County declared local flood emergencies, freeing up resources and funds to handle the flooding ahead. Officials say the flood plan is working and they are prepared for the river to crest.
"Where the damage is occurring is where we don't see, and those are the mitigation factors. So even as the water recedes, we want people to stay back because we don't know what has been eroded," said Ramsey County Commissioner Trista MatasCastillo.
Much of the city's efforts are out of plain sight. The public works department says sewer crews have been working 12-hour shifts to keep an eye on the city's pump system and ensure everything is working correctly.
"What this pump house does is that when the river rises we don't want it back flowing into our storm sewer system, so we close the gate, we shut the storm sewer down," said Public Works Director Sean Kershaw. "These pumps can pump 20,000 gallons a minute from the storm water system back into the river."
City leaders encourage people to continue adhering to the road and park closures.
"We certainly encourage a high level of caution and care because the river this high is obviously dangerous as well," Mayor Carter said.
The city will keep roads and parks closed until the Mississippi River has receded and everything can be safely cleared and reopened.
