River tries to sneak in under the berm

BY RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Despite a continued rise of a foot or more in the Minnesota River's level, New Ulm residents who are in the river's flood-swollen path are remaining calm and praising the city's efforts to protect them.

City crews worked into the night Friday to "top off" the berm protecting homes on South Valley at 812 feet, a foot higher than the original berm. But, as Perry Johnson, 1725 So. Valley St., learned Saturday afternoon, there still can be problems.

Even as he watched water bubbling up and forming a small pond between the completed dike and his house, Johnson remained confident. "I'm not worried about it reaching my house," he said. "The guys (city crew) worked all last afternoon and into the night and got the dike nice and strong at 812 feet."

The concern for the city crew Saturday was the water coming from the ground. It appeared that a drainage tile beneath the alley that runs by Johnson's home had cracked, allowing water to escape to the surface.

"They are a lot better prepared than in 1997," he explained. "That year I had water in my basement, but I kept it down with a sump pump so I got the carpet wet." Even with the immediate problem of the broken tile, Johnson said he wasn't worried and doesn't expect to have any water in his basement this year.

"The water must have risen at least a foot, maybe a foot and a half overnight," said Brice Andree, 907 So. Front St., who appears to occupy probably the neighborhood's highest ground.

"That's because my house was built after the 1997 flood," he explained. "With the city's new rules as a result of that flood, I had to build the house on higher ground."

That meant additional fill.

"Yah, nine grand worth," he said. "We wanted a walk-out basement, but even at this level the city wouldn't let me have a walk-out. I would have had to put a lot more fill in than I did for a walk-out." His house does have a basement, however.

But Andree is not upset with the city; far from it. "I'm very happy with what the city's done in response to the 1997 flood," he said, "and they've been just great this year, very organized, and keeping the neighborhood fully informed.

"So we're not worrying about it at all," he added. "The thing that puzzles me is where did all these 500-year floods come from?"

Even across the river, living practically at bank's edge just below U.S. Highway 14, Carroll and Barb Netzke, Route 5, should seem to be worried, but they're not. Sitting on the embankment slope, their home survived the 1997 flood with only water damage to their walk-out basement.

"We took everything out of the lower level, sent the kids to town to stay and stayed in the house," Barb Netzke said. The Netzkes sandbagged the front of the walk-out, and they're doing the same thing now.

"I've sandbagged it to 810 (feet)," Carroll Netzke explained. "That should be more than enough. It's no big deal; it was a lot bigger last time."

A good yardstick of how deep the water is just feet from the Netzkes' home is a nearby boathouse, located on the river bank. Its roof appears to float on the water.

Streets remaining closed because of the flood threat include South Front from 7th to 14th South and side streets between Front and Valley, from 9th to 14th South.

Obviously, the river doesn't need any help in pushing its way onto land so the Brown County Sheriff is asking that there be no boating on the river between Beussman bridge and the bridge located at 20th South Street/Nicollet County 37 because of floating debris and the damage that boat wakes can do to the flood berms and sand bagging efforts.

Although the river is threatening U.S. Highway 14 near County 15 and County 37 near the bridge, there are no closures of major roads in the New Ulm area. Farther downstream, however, State Highway 295 to the Regional Treatment Center in St. Peter was closed Friday because water covered both lanes of traffic.

Also remaining closed are State Highway 19 from Highway 169 to Henderson, State Highway 93 from Highway 169 to Henderson and from Highway 169 to LeSueur, State Highway 4 at the north edge of Sleepy Eye and State Highway 99 east of St. Peter. Minnesota Department of Transportation also advises checking its website at www.dot.state.mn.us for updated road conditions (just click on road conditions).

The Minnesota River is expected to rise to 808.1 feet Monday and crest at 808.5 Tuesday, 2.5 feet below the 1997 crest. The Cottonwood River was expected to crest at 14 feet this weekend, 3 feet above flood stage.