WILLMAR 鈥� Southern Kandiyohi County is coping with record water levels, and the consequences are as frustrating as they are costly.
Farmers south and east of Willmar have yet to tally up the acres of croplands that have been submerged and ruined since the rains began in mid-June. Lakeshore residents on Big Kandiyohi Lake are waiting for waters to recede before they can begin to assess the damage to their shorelines and yards, docks and boat lifts.
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鈥淧eople are frustrated. I get that,鈥� said Duane Anderson, a Kandiyohi County Commissioner whose District 5 south of Willmar is the hardest hit. 鈥淣ot much we can do.鈥�
The Willmar Area Community Foundation and on Tuesday conducted an in-person help center at the Willmar Conference Center where people affected by the high waters could connect with possible help, ranging from the Red Cross to Catholic Charities.
The county is now shifting to long-term recovery efforts for those impacted by the high waters, according to Ace Bonnema, emergency management director.
As the waters rose, county staff began providing sand and sandbags for affected areas while the public works crew tended to the water-damaged roadways. The damage to public infrastructure is estimated at $1.4 million.
Last week, the County Board of Commissioners approved a letter to the governor鈥檚 office seeking disaster assistance, according to Steve Gardner, chair of the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners. It鈥檚 hoped that state disaster funds could cover roughly two-thirds of the costs for repairing public infrastructure.
If approved, the state funds will be available only for damage to public infrastructure. The county does not believe the total damages to private property will reach the threshold required for funding help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for individuals, Bonnema explained.
Gardner noted that the full cost of this record-breaking wet spell on farm lands is far from known: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know the full extent of damages to the crops,鈥� he said.
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Commissioner Anderson said he has roughly 100 acres of crops under water on his farm. He has not seen water this high in 30 years.
The flooded fields led some to speculate that the Crow River and drainage systems were plugged by beaver dams or obstacles. Kandiyohi County Public Drainage Manager Austin Hilbrands flew a drone all the way to Corvuso, but found no beaver dams or obstacles other than downed trees in places.
There has been anywhere from 11 to more than 13 inches of rain recorded south of Willmar since June 12, according to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network overseen by the National Weather Service.
Anderson has recorded more than 13 inches of rain in that time. He spoke to one landowner who told him she had poured 20 inches of rain from her backyard gauge during the same period.
鈥淪he quit checking,鈥� he said.
As waters slowly recede, property owners on Big Kandiyohi Lake are checking daily to see the damage, but it is too early to know the full extent of it.
鈥淲e won鈥檛 know how much water damage there is, shoreline damage, until the water goes down,鈥� said David Peterson, head of the Big Kandiyohi Lake Association.
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The popular recreational lake recorded its highest water at 1,104.88 above sea level on June 30, the highest the county has ever recorded, according to Hilbrands.
The Crow River flowage south of Willmar has also set records on Lake Wakanda and Lake Lillian. Lake Wakanda reached a record 1,108.25 level on June 30, and Lake Lillian topped out at 1,103.4 feet on that same date.
There are about 270 properties on Big Kandiyohi Lake. Peterson said members of the lake association鈥檚 board of directors believe it is a fair estimation to say that every single one of them has suffered some high-water damage.
Lisa Bjergo, whose cabin is near Big Kandiyohi Lake County Park East, said she has been daily raking sand that waves keep piling on her lawn. She said she considers herself fortunate compared to those with cabins and homes along the lake鈥檚 south shore, where water levels have reached their decks.
鈥淢y heart breaks for them,鈥� she said.
The biggest worry is the winds and waves that have come with the high waters, Peterson said. There was no July 4 Parade of Boats on the lake this year due to the high water. Not only were there concerns about the wake from boats, but many have also moved their boats to higher ground due to flooded docks and lifts.
One of Peterson鈥檚 neighbors moved her dock after wave action damaged it. She moved it to her winter storage spot on her yard, and yet it stood in enough water for visiting children to use it for jumping into the lake鈥檚 cool waters over the holiday weekend.
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While water levels have gone down by a few inches this week, caution remains the byword.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of water that has to come through yet,鈥� Peterson said in reference to the upstream flow.
The fear is that waves driven by high winds in coming days could add to the damage, and there is a forecast of potential rain and storms Thursday into Friday.
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