St. Louis River flooding

Flooding has been an issue all over the Northland due to the recent warmer temperatures, and one major river is a big topic of concern, St. Louis. WDIO sat down with the St. Louis County’s Sheriff’s office to get the best advice on how to stay safe.

“As the snowpack melts, we do expect water levels to increase to some degree. A lot of that Verizon, if we receive rain, how much can soak into the ground. But at any rate, we are seeing water levels increase, water flow increase. So that does present some public safety concerns,” says Jason Akerson, Undersheriff of St. Louis County’s Sheriff’s Office.

“So water levels can be unpredictable. I mean, when you’re sitting in a car, it’s hard to know, they can be deceiving. So again, I would urge people to stay away from the rivers and the streams at this time of the year. They’re just unpredictable,” continues Akerson.

According to Akerson, another problem due to the flooding is a lot of roadways are starting to go underwater.

“Public works has responded to a number of roadways underwater, culverts failing or whatever. But they’re busy marking roads and closing roads. But we saw a big increase in that overnight, mainly up in the cotton flooded Meadowlands area,” continued Akerson. 

So what is the best way to keep safe?

“So if you come up on a roadway that’s flooding and it seems like there’s hazardous water conditions, please don’t try to drive through them or wade into them. Turn around. Find an alternate route to get to your location. Again, if a county road in public works has the road blocked, it’s for a reason. Don’t try to drive through it because you never know if the road has failed underneath the water or if a culverts failed,” finishes Akerson.

To find out more about road closures, and flooding safety information visit:

https://www.stlouiscountymn.gov/