A dam in south central Minnesota failed Monday morning, raising fears of flooding among nearby residents.
Citizens in the lower-lying areas of the Minnesota River Valley have been told to evacuate, as officials continue to monitor whether the Rapidan Dam will completely give way.
The structure is located on the Blue Earth River, where it has been for the past 114 years.
Debris began accumulating there on Sunday following abnormally high rainfall, placing the more than century-old barrier “in imminent failure condition.”
By 10:36 a.m., the river had eroded the land around the west side of the dam near the south side of Mankato to the point where water was cascading over the concrete, with accumulated flooding now putting the city at risk. city of 45,140 inhabitants.
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The Rapidan Dam in south central Minnesota failed Monday morning, raising fears of flooding among nearby residents.
Citizens in the lower-lying Minnesota River Valley have been told to evacuate, as officials continue to monitor whether the 114-year-old dam on the Blue Earth River will completely fail.
In an alert issued Monday as images showed parts of the dam in ruins, Blue Earth County Emergency Management stated: “We do not know if it will fail completely or if it will remain in place.”
“However,” the agency added, “we determined that it was necessary to issue this notice to inform downstream residents and the appropriate regulatory and other local agencies.”
Meanwhile, debris dislodged by the torrent of water continues to fall downstream as power outages have also been reported in surrounding areas.
The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office said Monday morning that they were aware of such outages and were working to resolve them, although they did not provide details on the number of homes affected.
In its own statement, the National Weather Service described how the failure will cause the portion of the river that runs through Mankato to peak just below major flood status Tuesday morning.
Twenty other cities, such as Fairmont, are also in the flash flood radius, as the water has already washed away a large portion of the dam, raising questions about its structural integrity for years.
Gov. Tim Walz and state emergency response officials cited that scrutiny in issuing their own statement Monday morning, as nearby roads
“I know the structural integrity of the dam has been an issue for a long time,” Governor Walz said of the old structure, built in 1910 by Ambersen Hydraulic Construction Company.
Authorities are warning downstream residents about the risk of stray debris and rising water levels, which have already washed away part of the dam and several nearby buildings.
Residents of Le Sueur County, of which there are more than 28,000, have been asked to evacuate, particularly those living in low-lying areas of the river valley.
“Dam removal has been an issue that’s been up there.”
He and other officials are warning downstream residents about the risk of rogue debris and rising water levels, which have already washed away part of the dam and several nearby buildings, photographs show.
They are telling residents of Le Sueur County, of which there are more than 28,000, to evacuate, although the warning was intended more for those in low-lying areas of the river valley.
Parts of Mankato near the Blue Earth River meet this criteria and are expected to be hardest hit by flooding when it reaches a predicted tipping point on Tuesday.
Until then, the NWS has issued a flash flood warning for thousands of people living downstream until 4:30 p.m., although no official evacuation order has been given.
ric Weller, Blue Earth County emergency management director, told the Star Tribune by phone Monday morning that “the dam could fail” and that everyone considered in danger has been notified.
He added that despite the absence of an official order, several have already left their homes after the dam was “breached,” and that anyone in danger has already been urged to consider leaving.
Parts of Mankato near the Blue Earth River meet this criteria and are expected to be hardest hit by flooding when it reaches a predicted tipping point on Tuesday.
Again, without giving details, he said those who were not warned were probably not in danger, although things could change as the extent of the crisis is measured again on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, authorities are preparing for the worst: Swollen water was seen cutting into the west side of the dam on Monday, causing debris to pile up in the river.
Authorities are monitoring the County Road 33 and County Road 90 bridges to see if that debris will continue to pass downstream and plague motorists, ready to close the roads if necessary.
Footage filmed from above shows homes near the west side of the dam perched dangerously close to the rushing water, which as of this writing continues to send more water than usual downstream toward cities like Mankato, not to mention debris.
Pieces of county infrastructure are among the debris currently being sent downstream, officials said, as they continue to monitor the development of the event.
This is a developing story; Please check back for more updates.
