HomeMy WebLinkAboutPW - Minnehaha Flooding
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Jordan Gilgenbach, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0396 • jgilgenbach@EdinaMN.gov • www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Heaving Rains Cause More Flooding In Edina, Closes Roads
Edina, Minn., June 19, 2014 – After heavy rains the morning of Thursday, June 19, the City of Edina has
closed several streets and urges residents to call if flooding threatens structures. Residents are also reminded
to stay away from moving water.
Nearly 4.5 inches of rain fell on Edina since Wednesday evening, elevating flooding concerns along Minnehaha
Creek. Flooding along a rising Minnehaha Creek became a concern near the end of May, which has continued
to remain high through June.
With recent heavy rainfalls, more residents are experiencing flooding. About 3,000 sandbags were delivered
to about two dozen homes along the creek the weekend of May 30, with instructions to leave the bags for
several weeks until the creek levels dropped. Another 2,500 bags were distributed today. Public Works crews
are currently filling sand bags at a rate of 600 to 700 bags per hour.
“Crews are working as quickly as they can to fill sandbags and deliver them to homes threatened by flooding,”
said Public Works Director Brian Olson, explaining that it is taking about 90 minutes for crews to prepare
and deliver sandbags to a home. “Because of the volume of calls and requests, we ask residents to be patient
as we prioritize and fill those requests.”
Olson said crews are focusing attention on homes along the Minnehaha Creek and areas with ponds and lakes
at or over capacity. About 50 properties are being sand bagged. Olson noted many more residents have
reported flooded basements due to an already saturated ground, unrelated to flooding.
Olson encourages residents who are experiencing flooding along Minnehaha Creek or other bodies of water
and need sandbags to call City Hall, 952-927-8861, or the Public Works Department, 952-826-0376. After 8
p.m., call the Edina Police Department’s non-emergency line at 952-826-1600.
Edina’s Public Works have closed the following roads due to flooding:
64th Street near the Edina Aquatic Center
Dewey Hill Road west of Cahill Road
Hillary Lane
Stauder Circle between Londonderry and Parkwood roads
East Sunnyslope Road north of Dale Drive
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Edina Fire Chief Tom Schmitz urges residents to stay away from all flooding waters.
“’Turn around, don’t drown’ is advice everyone should take today,” Schmitz said.
“Don’t drive through a flooded roadway, and stay off of and away from Minnehaha
Creek and its fast-moving current.”
According to the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, Lake Minnetonka – Minnehaha
Creek’s source – reached an all-time high level of 930.77 feet above sea level, an increase of 2.88 inches since
the previous reading on Wednesday, June 18, breaking the previous record of 930.66 feet set on June 3, 2014.
Per the operating plan for the Gray’s Bay Dam, the District is discharging water at a rate of 300 cubic feet per
second (cfs) and additional water is flowing over the spillway north of the dam at an estimated rate of 346 cfs.
The National Weather Service predicts additional precipitation this afternoon and overnight. The phone lines
at Edina City Hall will be staffed until 8 p.m. After 8 p.m., residents experiencing flooding should call the Edina
Police Department’s non-emergency line at 952-826-1600.
For flooding resources such as flood maps or how to build a sandbag levee, visit
www.EdinaMN.gov/engineering-flooding-resources.
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