The St. Croix River in Stillwater crested on Monday, just over moderate flood stage, but river watchers are expecting a long and slow recession of the water.

The river reached 688.09 feet around 10:45 a.m., and stayed at that level most of the day. It was expected to fall to 688 feet – which marks moderate flood stage – around 7 a.m. Tuesday, even with a half-inch of rain in the forecast overnight on Monday, said Tyler Hasenstein, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The expected rain coming in Thursday or Friday – more than an inch – “is more concerning,” Hasenstein said. “The river levels could level off, if not rise again at the end of the week. The most likely scenario would be a continued dropdown.”

City crews in Stillwater on Monday began removing jersey barriers and sandbags from the south end of Lowell Park, and “we are working our way north,” said Shawn Sanders, director of public works.

“I’m sure there is some water damage to Lowell Park, but we have to wait until the water recedes,” he said.

Stillwater Mayor Ted Kozlowski said it might take quite a while for the river to recede, especially if the state gets more rain. “It’s staying pretty flat at least for now, but I’m not liking the looks of the forecast for the rest of the week,” he said.

The flood forecast doesn’t take into account future precipitation, he said.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and I don’t see the river dropping as fast as the forecast is predicting it will,” he said. “That’s just not how the river works. I don’t see the river level changing that much in the next week.”

Stillwater Lift Bridge

The Stillwater Lift Bridge won’t be lowered until after the river reaches 685.2 feet at Stillwater; the river is forecast to reach that level on Saturday afternoon, said Kent Barnard, communications and media coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Plans to remove ballast, restore power and resume operation of the Stillwater Lift Bridge, as well as opening the Loop Trail on the bridge to pedestrian and bicycle traffic will rely on water levels in the St. Croix River.

MnDOT maintenance crews “want to avoid interfering with people/traffic in town for the weekend after the Fourth (of July),” he said. “If the river cooperates, we will probably begin our ballast removal on Monday, July 8.”

While the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a federal disaster declaration for 22 Minnesota counties impacted by flooding, Washington County was not on the list. Whether the county is included in the future depends on how much damage is revealed once the river recedes, said Doug Berglund, the county’s emergency services manager.

“We don’t know the extent of our damages yet, and we probably won’t know until the river recedes by a couple of feet, and we can see what is left behind,” Berglund said Monday.

The federal threshold that the county must meet is $1.2 million in damage to uninsured public infrastructure, he said.

“An example of that is when the water recedes and Lake St. Croix beach has had riprap damage, and the beach needs to be cleaned up,” he said.

St. Paul

The Mississippi River floods Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Devanie Andre / Pioneer Press)

The Mississippi River at St. Paul crested at approximately 5:30 p.m. Saturday at 20.17 feet. As of Monday morning it was at 19.1 feet and is expected to recede under the major food stage — 17 feet — by Wednesday. St. Paul declared a public emergency Wednesday in response to the flooding. Low-lying roads and parks along the river have been closed since the river began to rise. City officials have asked the public to stay away from blocked off areas even with the river level dropping.

The river’s rise was triggered by heavy rains last month that caused flooding across the state. Gov. Tim Walz has sought a presidential disaster declaration after touring flooding in the Mankato region.

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