Rising Red Lake River Met with Rapid Response: Crookston Interim Administrator Discusses Response from Weekend Flooding

Crookston, MN — River levels are going doing and things are looking up for the city of Crookston, which saw the Red Lake River rise rapidly over this weekend and come within a foot of a record crest. The city will remain on high alert and continue monitoring the dike with help from the National Guard, which was called in on Sunday to assist with the flood fighting efforts. Crookston Interim City Administrator Corky Reynolds says they don’t anticipate any issues, but with more precipitation in the forecast they will continue to stay focused on flood protection.

The river levels in the city of Crookston rose rapidly over the weekend, rising from 14ft on Friday afternoon to cresting at 27.07 ft on Sunday night, the third highest crest in history, according to records. That only trailed a crest of 27.3 feet set in 1969 and the record crest of 28.4 feet that was set in 1997. Reynolds notes that the record flood of 1997 helped the city of Crookston be prepared for events like this weekend.

And Reynolds thanks those from the community and beyond who stepped up to help the city with their flood protection efforts this weekend.

Only a few homes had sustained any significant flooding damage following a breach in the dike in the Riverside Street area.

The Red Lake River, pending future precipitation, is expected drop into moderate flood stage sometime midweek and into minor flood stage by the weekend.

Listen to the full interview with Crookston Interim City Administrator Corky Reynolds below: