Marquette and McGregor brace for near-record flooding
The communities of Marquette and McGregor are bracing for what the National Weather Service (NWS) projects will be the second-highest crest of the Mississippi River at McGregor. The river hit major flood stage of 22 feet (pictured here) on Monday, April 24, and will continue to rise to 24 feet on Saturday, April 29. In Marquette on Monday, Canadian Pacific Railway worked to raise the height of the tracks as flood water inched closer. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
MFL MarMac student and McGregor Hook and Ladder volunteer Eric Grady hefts a sandbag onto a pallet during sandbag filling operations in Marquette on April 21.
Mississippi River flooding has overtaken Big Buoy’s Tiki Bar in McGregor. A Hesco barrier spans the riverfront for protection, and on Tuesday was going to be expanded to B Street, closing off South McGregor.
McGregor Hook and Ladder’s automatic sandbagger has made filling sandbags quicker and more efficient compared to previous floods.
By the middle of last week, pumps were placed in Marquette (pictured here) and McGregor.
On Sunday, city workers, firefighters and other volunteers reinforced barriers at the riverfront and next to the city shop and Mar-Mac police station off B45/Pleasant Ridge Road. The city of Marquette on April 24 authorized the closure of Pleasant Ridge Road within the corporate limits of Marquette due to the influx of traffic.
Homes in South McGregor were already surrounded by water on Monday, as the Mississippi River hit 22 feet.
Flood waters have inundated the rail yard in Marquette, as seen here from Highway 18.
On Monday, the intersection at Highway 76 and Anti-Monopoly Street, near Casino Queen Marquette, was built up in anticipation of rising water.
At 22 feet, the Mississippi River was a little past the base of the dike.
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The communities of Marquette and McGregor are bracing for what the National Weather Service (NWS) projects will be the second-highest crest of the Mississippi River at McGregor. The river hit major flood stage of 22 feet on Monday, April 24, and will continue to rise to 24 feet on Saturday, April 29. The NWS graph then shows the water level holding around 24 feet through April 30, before receding.
By reaching 22 feet, the Mississippi surpassed the third-highest height of 21.98 feet set in April 1993. A crest of 24 feet would eclipse the current number two of 23.75 feet set in April 2001. The record of 25.38 feet is from April 1965.
NWS attributed this spring’s enhanced flooding to unseasonably deep snowpack across northern parts of the region, coupled with a rapid warm-up in early April that led to rapid melting. NWS said McGregor had a 70 to 90 percent chance of exceeding 2001 flood levels due to the nearby confluence of the Wisconsin River.
On Monday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for 10 counties in response to flooding along the Mississippi River. In addition to Clayton, the governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of flooding in Allamakee, Clinton, Des Moines, Dubuque, Jackson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott counties.
Reynolds also instructed the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD) to activate the State Emergency Operations Center in Johnston in order to coordinate the state’s response activities. HSEMD is working with county emergency management, state and federal partners to monitor conditions and provide resources to areas impacted by flooding.
Clayton County Emergency Management Coordinator Sarah Moser has been helping cities find or request resources that are needed for flood protection measures.
“We are getting items in place where they are needed or staging nearby. Cities and fire departments have been encouraged to ensure their resources (pumps, generators, sandbagging machine, etc.) are operating properly so they can be utilized. I will talk through a city’s plan with them to make sure there aren’t gaps and address gaps that do exist. I’m compiling information and disseminating it for situational awareness,” Moser explained.
Marquette and McGregor city workers were preparing for flooding prior to the river hitting the minor flood stage of 16 feet early last week. Pumps were placed by the middle of last week, and crews began erecting flood walls and taking other protective measures.
Contractors from McGregor’s Main Street construction project helped the city crew place sand-filled Hesco barriers at the riverfront.
“Not only did they have more equipment and manpower to offer, they’ve done this before for other communities,” said the city of McGregor in an April 22 statement. “As this work was being done, the Army Corps of Engineers was here and indicated that McGregor has done a nice job of preparing. In addition to getting the flood walls in place, the manholes are plugged and all pumps have been activated and are being monitored around the clock. Our sewer system is working very hard and is keeping up right now. If residents and businesses can take measures to reduce water consumption until flood waters recede, this will be very helpful.”
Marquette has a foot-by-foot operations manual that dates back to flooding in 2011. Mayor Steve Weipert credited long-time public works director Jason Sullivan for the organization.
“He knows exactly when and where. Every year the water comes up, and every year we take out our plans and follow them. That’s the biggest thing. We’ve been through it before. We have plans,” Weipert said.
The cities also instructed residents near their riverfronts and in low-lying areas to begin moving valuables to higher locations, plugging floor drains and making sure sump pumps were in good working condition.
Sandbags were being filled by mid-week thanks to an automatic sandbagger provided by McGregor Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1. Sand was dumped into the top of the machine by a loader, then, by activating a foot pedal, as many as four people at once could pour sand into bags. This made the process more efficient than at previous flood events.
“They can whip them out pretty darn quick,” said fire chief Tom Sauer.
On April 21, city workers, firefighters, local and county law enforcement, residents, Luana Savings Bank employees, staff and students from New Frontier School in Prairie du Chien and around 100 students and staff from MFL MarMac came together to fill sandbags in Marquette.
“It’s a wonderful thing,” said Weipert of the support. “We’ll have our sandbagging done easily today.”
Volunteers also came out in force in McGregor the following day.
According to Weipert, “Where there are splits in the dike, there will be a lot of sandbags in there. They put in rock barriers, but you’re going to have to seal around the sides. Manhole covers are another big issue. Then, of course, these dikes are old. They leak. We will have people walking dikes at night, and wherever there’s a wet spot and it’s getting mushy, then the sand bags will fill that in.”
By Sunday, those sandbags were being put to use in Marquette, as city workers, firefighters and other volunteers reinforced barriers at the riverfront and next to the city shop and Mar-Mac police station off B45/Pleasant Ridge Road.
It’s been a similar situation in McGregor.
Said the city, “As we continue to monitor the flooding situation, we are adding more reinforcements to the flood wall barriers, and monitoring pumps and the levees around the clock. As part of these efforts, the flood wall will be expanded across B Street by Viserion Grain [Tuesday, April 25], which means all South McGregor residents who haven’t already evacuated will need to do so by 8 a.m. [Tuesday].”
In a statement last week, the city of Marquette advised that residents—especially those on Anti-Monopoly, Brown and Edgar streets—should prepare for evacuation as early as Tuesday, April 25. Businesses and homes on North Street may also be inaccessible, according to the city.
“We don’t want to scare anybody, but we do want everybody prepared,” Weipert said. “The protocol if we’re going to have people moving out or not would be how well the dikes are working. If we’re afraid a dike is going to go, people are going to go.”
On Monday, the road at the intersection of Highway 76 and Anti-Monopoly Street, at Casino Queen Marquette, was built up in anticipation of rising water.
If it should need to be closed, “Then the evacuation road on the bench will be opened to residents only,” said Sauer.
Also on Monday, Casino Queen Marquette announced it will temporarily close for the safety of guests and team members. And, as the nearby railyard became inundated with flood water, Canadian Pacific Railway continued days-long efforts to raise the tracks at least a foot so trains could continue to operate.
Due to the influx of local and transient vehicular traffic on the temporary flood prone one-lane Pleasant Ridge Road, near the intersection of Pleasant Drive, after consultation with the Clayton County Engineer’s Office and the Mar-Mac Police Department, the city of Marquette on April 24 authorized the closure of Pleasant Ridge Road within the corporate limits of Marquette.
“The involved entities are aware of the inconvenience this may cause local and nearby motorists, but, due to the increasing rise of the Mississippi River and vehicular traffic, the temporary gravel one-lane road is prone to increasing deterioration,” said a press release.
On April 25, Clayton County Secondary Roads was to begin establishing a Pleasant Ridge Road (B45) detour and placing advance signage. U.S. Highway 18 vehicular traffic is encouraged to follow the Iowa Department of Transportation’s signed detour.
Highway 76 just north of Effigy Mounds National Monument was also closed Tuesday, April 25.
Weipert is thankful Marquette and McGregor have had some time to prepare for major flooding. But adaptability is key.
“It’s kind of like being in a game show. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.
