Minnesota Water Resources Conference - Water Resources Center ...

BOOK OF ABSTRACTS
Tuesday, October 28
Concurrent Sessions IV 10:00–11:30
Track B: Impact of Southeast Minnesota Floods
Flood Response
Paul Halvorson, Minnesota Department of Health, Paul.Halvorson@state.mn.us
The heavy rains of August 18-19, 2007 caused tragic, widespread flash flooding in many communities in
Southeast Minnesota. The public water supply most impacted by the flooding was the City of Rushford in
Fillmore County, which will be the focus of this presentation. Two of the three deep wells that supply the City
were overtopped by floodwaters and were contaminated. With the initial power outage and service line breaks,
the water system lost pressure. There was a large scale response, with much volunteer effort, to help the City of
Rushford. The process of getting the water supply back up and running was complicated by two factors: 1) The
two municipal wells that were flooded were not getting cleared of the coliform bacteria contamination after
repeated disinfection and flushing attempts, raising concern that these wells could not provide safe water for
the foreseeable future, leaving the City with just one safe well; and 2) The discovery of many deep and shallow
wells within the City that needed to be evaluated to find out what threat they posed to the City supply.
Flood Impact on Rushford
Windy Block, City of Rushford
In the very early morning hours of August 19, 2007, the 1,780 citizens of Rushford were awakened rudely by a
disaster that would change the community forever. As the one remaining functioning emergency siren sounded
its alarm, the race was already on for the heart of the community. In only a few short minutes, the normally
tranquil Rush Creek had turned into a flooding torrent, attacking the city from a position that the community
had never experienced before.
City Administrator Windy Block will share his reflections of the harsh realities of this 2007 flood event. He will
also illustrate the multitude of impacts that such a flood can have on a community and the resources that are
necessary for recovery. Finally, he will update his audience on the progress to date as Rushford has worked so
hard to renew itself. This is a story of despair and hopes all wrapped into one illustrative presentation. It is also
a great reminder of a single type of disaster that many other cities may yet need to endure.
61 Minnesota Water Resources Conference, October 27–28, 2008