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River towns ready as waters rise

Fargo and Moorhead are poised for a Sunday crest on the Red. In the metro area, some bridges and roads have been closed.

March 20, 2010 at 4:47AM

3:16

(Steve Rice/Steve Rice)

MOORHEAD, MINN. - Gov. Tim Pawlenty kept his feet dry, then tipped his hat to Moorhead on Friday for being so well-prepared for the fourth-highest Red River flood crest in recorded history.

"I think it'll be a manageable event," said Pawlenty, who toured sandbagged and diked neighborhoods where residents are awaiting a rise of another 2 feet before the river crests, then begins falling back Sunday.

On Friday, the sister cities of Moorhead and Fargo were relatively quiet after a week of fortifications against a crest that also will mark their earliest major spring flood. Last year, the Red crested at a record height, more than 3 feet higher than predicted this year. The river's volume this year is only two-thirds of what it was at last year's peak.

As the Red and other rivers across the Upper Midwest continue to rise, fueled by melting snow, flood warnings are in effect from North Dakota to Tennessee.

Crests on the Red, Minnesota and Mississippi are expected to arrive from this weekend to the middle of next week. Many roads have been closed, including several in the Twin Cities metro area. On Friday, the state Department of Transportation closed the Hwys. 101 and 41 Minnesota River crossings. Earlier, a portion of Hwy. 41 in Chaska was closed.

In Stillwater and Afton, city officials put out a call for weekend sandbaggers to help stiffen the cities' defenses against the rising St. Croix River. Stillwater volunteers were asked to report to the parking lot at Mulberry and Water streets downtown for sandbagging that will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, and Afton volunteers were asked to go to the entrance to Steamboat Park.

Marinas along the St. Croix were busy moving docked boats out of harm's way, and authorities said the Stillwater lift bridge will be closed Sunday or Monday, depending on how high and fast the water rises.

In St. Paul, where the Mississippi is predicted to surge about 6 feet above flood stage by the middle of next week, several streets are closed, and the park on Harriet Island was on the verge of being closed, authorities said.

And at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, state officials closed Fort Snelling State Park until further notice.

The "Maple Syruping in Your Back Yard" programs scheduled to take place at the park this and next weekend were canceled, as was a volunteer park-cleaning event set for April 17.

Governments marshal forces

The Red is expected to crest Sunday morning in Fargo-Moorhead at 37.5 feet, down from an earlier forecast of 38 feet. Last year's record crest was 40.8 feet.

At its headwaters at Breckenridge, Minn., on Friday, the Red was about 2.5 feet lower than its expected crest overnight Monday.

The Thompson Bridge, about 8 miles south of Grand Forks, was closed, as were two of the three bridges connecting Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.

Pawlenty, who on Sunday plans to visit East Grand Forks, about 70 miles downstream from Fargo-Moorhead, voiced his support for a proposed $1.3 billion diversion ditch that would carry flood water around Fargo-Moorhead and reduce the level of the Red as it flows through the cities.

That option was the unanimous choice Thursday of a flood mitigation task force made up of officials from Moorhead, Fargo, Minnesota's Clay County and North Dakota's Cass County.

But what could be tricky finance negotiations between the two states began Friday, with North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven suggesting that Minnesota kick about $200 million into the project.

Pawlenty suggested that Minnesota might pony up less than half that amount, based on the share of benefits it would receive as estimated by the Army Corps of Engineers.

"I talk to Governor Hoeven a lot," Pawlenty said. "We want to work this out in a way that's fair and reasonable."

Also Friday, President Obama declared a flooding emergency in scores of Minnesota counties, an action that frees federal aid to supplement that provided by state and local governments.

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., plans to visit six cities along the Red and Minnesota rivers on Saturday, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., will visit Moorhead on Sunday.

For deer, a tough time

In Delano, Minn., crews scrambled Friday to finish building an emergency dike to protect the city -- a dike that wasn't even thought necessary until the National Weather Service raised its forecast for the Crow River.

The Crow was at 19.65 feet, or more than a foot over major flood stage, Friday afternoon. Its forecast crest of 20.5 feet is expected to hit Saturday night.

If the Crow hits 20.5 feet at Delano, it will be the second-highest level on record.

Elsewhere in Minnesota, the Cottonwood and Minnesota rivers at New Ulm were rising faster than first forecast, but officials said most of the city's homes weren't in danger.

In central Minnesota, ice jams on the Mississippi and its tributaries began breaking up, easing the flood threat.

But flooding already has proven lethal for many deer. Six drivers struck and killed deer on Thursday along Hwy. 169 between Mankato and St. Peter.

MnDOT highway maintenance supervisor Woody Woodruff said rising waters are pushing the animals to higher ground -- "and the higher ground is our roads."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. mcaul@startribune.com • 612-673-7646 vonste@startribune.com • 612-673-7184

Monte Bachmann walked through water along County Road 81 south of Fargo Friday morning. County Road 81 is a main road that runs north/south through Fargo. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)