Flood in Pepin, Wisconsin

Heavy snow fall during winter remained on the ground through the end of March and then rapidly melted, resulting in river stages close to record levels along Wisconsin's western border. Water began to gush through drainage ditches, streams and into the mainstem rivers during midday April 1. Two to four inches of rain April 7-9 prolonged the high water and also added about one foot to the crest during mid-April. Another two to three inches of rain April 22-23 caused a second crest in late April. Both the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers remained well above flood stage into May (see May 2001 Storm Data). The crest at Stillwater MN on the St. Croix River was the second highest crest, only 1.8 feet lower than in 1965. The crest at Hastings MN and Red Wing MN on the Mississippi River was the third highest level, lower only than during the floods of 1965 and 1969.A few homes and businesses in Durand (Pepin County) and Prescott (Pierce County) had water in basements, and one office building in Hudson (St. Croix County) was engulfed by the St. Croix River. Numerous county roads and bridges were under water, and the St. Croix River crossing between Houlton (St. Croix County) and Stillwater MN was closed from April 10th into the month of May. Kennedy Mills dam on the Apple River near St. Croix Falls (Polk County) was clogged by debris, causing an adjoining embankment to collapse. A section of another dam 10 miles east of St. Croix Falls also began eroding. Both dams were shored up and did not collapse.