(CSi) Stutsman County Emergency Manager, Jerry Bergquist, on The Wayne Byers Show updated topics concerning water watch and other information:

The water releases from the two dams that were recently completed.

The spring water releases that began on Monday include, Pipestem Dam releasing 50 cfs, and Jamestown Dam continues to ramp up releases, on Thursday at 600 cfs, to reach 800 cfs, in increments of 200 cfs.   The combined release will then by 850 cfs.  That compares to last fall’s combined release of 2400, cfs, that required sandbagging along sections of the James River.  He said those sandbags remain in place at this time. On Thursday the Jamestown Reservoir was about 16 feet into the flood storage area, and Pipestem Reservoir was about 30 feet into the flood storage area.

 

He said, the overland flooding issues not related to river flooding especially in the western half of the County has parts of western Stutsman County looking like a big lake.

Jerry said  parts of Western Stutsman County is “pothole country,” full of closed drainage basins where the water has continued to rise, flooding much of the countryside. Bergquist said many rural roads are underwater, in some area’s four to five feet deep.

He said a water problem area at this time remains northwest and southwest of Medina.

Bergquist says there’s nowhere for the water to drain, adding, and the water just doesn’t go anywhere until it gets to an elevation where it overtops and moves into another closed basin.

Flooding is damaging roads while cutting off access to rural homes and hampers first responders.

Detours have been set up on rural roads, that in some cases moves traffic about 20 to 25 miles around the flooded roadways.

He pointed out that the Crystal Springs rest area has the threat of going under water.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation is working on raising two areas along I-94 east of Cleveland and an area west of the Streeter exchange. Bergquist says those locations could go underwater.

 

Meanwhile other topics included:

The daily fire danger concern as the wait for the area to green up.  On Thursday the Fire Danger Index was in the Moderate Category.

 

Jerry added that Severe Summer Weather Awareness Week is the week of April 27, with more information coming from his office.

 

This is National Telecommunicator Week  (April 12-18) where at the LEC, dispatcher are being saluted for their important work.