St. Croix Flooding: Bridges and Landings Close, Tributary Dam Destroyed

As the massive amount of water from Tuesday night’s storms continues to flow off the land and into the rivers, the St. Croix and its tributaries are raging.

The National Park Service has announced all landings on the St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers, are closed until further notice.

The Highway 48 bridge over the St. Croix, near Danbury, WI has also been closed. The Pine County Sheriff also warned residents near the Snake River to prepare for several days of rising water.

A dam on the Totogatic River, a major tributary of the Namekagon River, succumbed to the flood, part of the dike blew out, and drained the Colton Flowage, a popular boating and fishing destination.

In Stillwater, Lumberjack Days organizers announced the festival will continue as planned, though some venues will be moved to higher ground.

“It’s been stressful day,” McQuay told the Stillwater Current. “But we’re looking forward to having a wonderful community celebration. I mean seriously … water schmater, it’ll be a great event. We have to rethink the layout, but we are going to have a fun weekend no matter what.”

The Taylors Falls boat tours and canoe rentals will be closed through Sunday, hoping to re-open by Monday. Saying the National Park Service has called it a 1,000-year flood. They also stressed that the town of Taylors Falls is still fully open for business.

In Marine on St. Croix, the restaurant at the landing announced it was moving its eating area up the hill from its flooded deck, but would still be serving ribs tomorrow (July 15th).

And, in Marine on St. Croix, Sean Samec was trying to return this canoe to its owner after he found it adrift, just downstream of the marina.

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