VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The city of Valley City is fighting a flood and will have clay levees completed to a height of 20.5 feet by Tuesday to protect the city for a river crest of 18.5 feet, forecast later this week.
Barnes County Emergency manager Sue Lloyd said once the river rises above 17.5 feet a bridge south of Valley City will close along the Katheryn Road later this week.
US Army Corps of Engineers Baldhill dam resource manager Rich Schueneman said they bumped up the outflows out of the dam to 3,800 cfs on Monday.
City Attorney Carl Martineck said a call center hotline for residents with concerns is now running 24/7 at 701-890-7848.
And VCSU President Alan LaFave said a shuttle is being used to get people to the campus until further notice.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, plans to slightly drawdown, or lower, Lake Ashtabula behind Baldhill Dam, near Valley City, North Dakota, this week to make room for runoff in the wake of the recent winter storm, rain events and forecasted rain.
Last weekend’s precipitation event produced 1 to 2.5 inches of liquid water falling on top of snow from a historic, late-winter storm that occurred in early April. Temperatures have dropped below freezing in the basin which has delayed some of the runoff from last weekend’s storm. Another storm system with potential for significant rainfall is forecasted for the end of this week.
Outflows from Baldhill Dam will be increased during this week in advance of this event to create room in the reservoir for the anticipated runoff from snow and rain. Outflow will be increased today up to 3,800 cubic feet per second and will be adjusted as needed to manage runoff flowing into the reservoir and readiness of downstream flood protection. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to the forecasted lake level and releases which will be updated daily during this runoff event.
Current and historic lake levels and releases can be accessed at www.mvp-wc.usace.army.mil or https://water.usace.army.mil. All Corps’ reservoirs are operated in accordance with detailed water control manuals to ensure the system performs as designed.