High and rising water levels on the region’s major rivers are sparking some complications in waterfront towns from St. Charles to Clarksville, Missouri, to Grafton, causing some to cancel or consider postponing planned festivities and prompting some emergency sandbagging.
Local officials, however, expressed hope Friday that their communities along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers could dodge severe problems or true headaches — pointing to water levels that were predicted to stay just short of key thresholds, and precautions that were already taken.
In Clarksville, for example, individuals spent the Fourth of July filling about 25,000 sandbags in the Pike County town, said Mayor Jo Anne Smiley. Many of those bags are now protecting Clarksville’s downtown buildings, right next to the Mississippi River, while others are ready if needed later.
As currently predicted, Smiley said the town is prepared for the gradually building crest that is expected to peak on Monday, when local water levels are projected to come within a couple feet of “major” flood stage.
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“We kind of feel like we’re ahead of the game or we’re at least in charge of the game,” said Smiley.
Still, she said, “this is a tense time.” The high water comes while the town’s long-awaited installation of a $15 million flood defense system that features a removable wall is still a year away from its planned completion.
The high water on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers is largely the result of more severe flooding in states farther upstream, such as Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. Recent heavy rainfall around St. Louis also hasn’t helped.
In St. Charles, Friday’s portion of Riverfest was canceled after the predicted rise of the Missouri River would “potentially cause flooding in Frontier Park and make it unsafe for us to have the event,” city officials said in a Thursday release.
Nearby, the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Museum issued calls Thursday for volunteers to help move boats and equipment out of the reach of the rising water.
Other riverfront towns were still grappling Friday with whether to alter their own plans heading into the holiday weekend. In Grafton, officials were sizing up whether they could proceed with Friday night’s planned fireworks display after Mississippi River floodwaters swamped areas that would normally be used to accommodate parking for the event.
Around noon on Friday, town leaders reached a decision: The show would go on, after successfully lining up some alternative parking areas.
Mayor Mike Morrow said “this is normal flooding” for Grafton’s riverfront, and that despite the encroaching river, the town was ready to play host to “plenty of stuff going on” from Friday through the weekend.
“Grafton is open,” he said. “Come on up and enjoy yourself.”
As of Friday afternoon, forecasts showed that the river in Grafton was expected to reach moderate flood stage over the coming days, topping out at a 26-foot level that Morrow said marks the threshold beyond which more serious problems can arise — like rising water that threatens residential areas.
If those current projections hold steady, “we’ll be fine,” he said. But, he added, “we’ll be riding on the cusp.”