Rising Mississippi River continuing to test flood defenses
The rising Mississippi River will continue to test flood defenses in southeast Iowa and Illinois as water from days of heavy rain upstream moves downstream.
April 30, 2023
Updated: April 30th, 2023 at 11:36 pm
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(Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP) Boats are tethered to the front of homes along South Spencer Road, as the Mississippi River rises, forcing residents to find alternative transportation to get between their homes, and the rising waters covering their street on Thursday, April 27th, 2023 in Pleasant Valley Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad-City Times via AP).
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An inspector inspects HESCO sand barrier along River Drive, between Iowa and Perry Streets in Davenport on Friday, April 28th, 2023. Officials said that the Upper Mississippi River is expected to reach near-record levels in Wisconsin and Iowa. However, they expect to contain floodwaters using a combination flood walls, temporary barrier and wetlands. (Nikos Frazier/Quad-City Times via AP).
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Koby Eaker paddles to his house along 245th Ave. as the Mississippi River rises and blocks access, Thursday, April 27 2023 in Pleasant Valley Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad-City Times via AP).
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A city worker walks on the HESCO sand barrier along River Drive, between Iowa and Perry Streets in Davenport Iowa, Friday, 28 April 2023. Officials said that the Upper Mississippi River is expected to reach near-record levels in Wisconsin and Iowa. However, they expect to contain floodwaters using a combination flood walls, temporary barrier and wetlands. (Nikos Frazier/Quad-City Times via AP).
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(Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP) A pair of runners run along the Riverfront Trail as the Mississippi River rises on the pedestrian path, Thursday, April 27 2023, in Davenport. (Nikos Frazier/Quad-City Times via AP).
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DAVENPORT (Iowa) (AP)... The rising Mississippi River continues to test flood defences in southeast Iowa, and northwest Illinois as it crests.
This spring's peak water levels are likely to be among the 10 highest ever recorded in many areas, but according to the National Weather Service, river levels will remain below previous records. This should allow most towns to withstand floodwaters, though officials will be closely checking their sandbag and floodwall barriers in the coming days.
Tom Philip, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said: 'We've been lucky to have had dry weather for the past week and we don't expect much rain either.' It's mostly coming as predicted.
The river peaked at Dubuque Saturday at 23,03 feet (7 meters), well below the 25.7 feet (7.8 meter) record, but officials were grateful that the city's floodwall was still in place.
Deron Muehring is a civil engineer with the City of Dubuque. He said that without the floodwall the city would face significant problems.
Muehring, a reporter for the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, said that the floodwaters could reach up to six feet in depth in the Port of Dubuque. In the South Port they would be more than seven feet deep.
In the Quad-Cities region, several cities along the Iowa/Illinois border are located near the river. The river will crest around 21.6 feet (6.6 meters) on Sunday. Some roads and park near the river have been closed. The record is set at 22.7 feet (6.6 meters) in that location.
It can take two weeks to completely recede the floodwaters once the river crests.
As the melting snow continues to flow down the 2,300 mile (3,700 kilometer) river to reach the Gulf of Mexico, the flooding should ease. The tributaries of Iowa, Illinois, and other Midwest states have been running lower than normal, which means they will not exacerbate flooding by dumping huge amounts of water in the river.