BLUE EARTH COUNTY, Minn. — Officials in southern Minnesota confirm a "partial failure" has occurred at the site of the Rapidan Dam on the Blue Earth River south of Mankato.
In a news release Monday afternoon, Blue Earth County confirmed a "partial failure on the west abutment," but added the dam is "still intact and there are no current plans for a mass evacuation."
Earlier in the day, the Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office posted on social media that the county office of emergency management and public works departments were monitoring the build-up of debris at the dam.
Blue Earth County Sheriff Jeff Wersal said dead trees from drought got kicked up from the bottom when river levels rose.
“Normally we have ways of getting the trees when they come a few at a time out of the dam," Wersal said. "The water is so fast it’s not safe to put an excavator near this dam to get that out.”
Sunday night, it plugged up, causing the water to spill over the dam, with the river eventually breaking through early Monday and cutting a new path on the west side of the dam, taking with it a county parks machine shed, the Xcel substation, and many power poles. Xcel Energy crews are working to restore power to about 600 customers in Rapidan.
“People don’t need to panic that live downstream," Wersal said. "We’ve notified the people that may be affected by a sudden rise in the water and they are being aware. One of them did already leave their house. But it just shows how powerful moving water can be.”
The flooding is threatening the home where Jenny Barnes grew up, and her father and brother still live, visible in aerial video showing the eroded ground where the river cut its new path.
“It’ll happen. We don’t know when but it’s going to be inevitable that the house is going to go," Barnes said.
Jenny’s family could not only lose their home but their business, too. Next door is The Dam Store — well-known for its homemade pies — that’s been in business since 1910 and owned by their family since 1972. Barnes said people from all over the world have reached out to her, concerned about the business.
"That’s our life, as well. That’s our business; that’s our livelihood. It’s everything to us," Barnes said. "There’s no stopping it. It’s going to go where it wants to go. It’s going to take what it wants to take. And everybody pray that it doesn’t take The Dam Store."
The southern portion of Minnesota has already seen numerous road closures and detours over the weekend for flood waters. The County Road 33 bridge and County Road 90 bridge are being closely monitored for debris passing downstream of the Rapidan Dam and will close if needed.
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