Rapidan Dam on Verge of Imminent Failure: Residents Alerted

Clear Facts

• The Rapidan Dam in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, is in imminent failure condition, leading to high alert for residents due to increasing water levels.
• Blue Earth County Emergency Management, BEC Public Works, and the Sheriff’s Office are continually monitoring the situation; no evacuation order is currently in place.
• The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for the county, and exit and entrance ramps on Highway 169 at Lookout Drive have been closed as officials construct an earthen dike.

The Rapidan Dam, located in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, is at a critical point of potential failure due to rising water levels, which has put neighboring residents on high alert. Blue Earth County Emergency Management officials have relayed this information, ensuring that those in immediate danger are aware.

“The Dam is currently intact and there is not an evacuation order in place for Blue Earth County residents,” officials stated. “The situation is being monitored closely by BEC Public Works, Emergency Management, and the Sheriff’s Office.”

Alerts issued by BEC express uncertainty as to whether the dam will eventually fail or remain intact. However, officials deemed it necessary to notify residents downstream of the dam about the situation.

Mankato Police and Fire revealed via social media that the water level at the dam was 28 feet, whereas the levee system is built to withstand a river capacity of up to 39.5 feet. “According to Blue Earth County officials, if Rapidan Dam becomes compromised, they estimate that there would be up to a 2 ft. surge in the river level,” the post read.

The situation is still developing, and the City of Mankato remains confident that the levee system will hold firm. As of now, no part of the city is under evacuation orders.

Further, there has been an increase in activity around Sibley Park by Xcel Energy. Around 170 employees from Xcel are relocating approximately 400 pieces of equipment to safeguard a nearby substation.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in conjunction with state emergency response officials, delivered an update on Monday morning. “We are continuing to monitor the status of the dam with local officials,” Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Kristi Rollwagen stated.

“We were made aware of the situation about 4 a.m. this morning. We’re also looking at the communication cell towers in the area and working to get resources down there to support cellular communications. Right now, the integrity of the dam is intact, but we will continue to monitor it and be aware of what’s going on.”

Adding to the concern, the National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for the county, effective until Monday 4:30 p.m. The entrance and exit ramps on Highway 169 at Lookout Drive in Mankato and North Mankato have been closed as officials are constructing an earthen dike, a temporary berm, to direct runoff to a desired location.

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