"Anything but normal": 2023 has Minnehaha Falls back in business following drought
MINNEAPOLIS -- Six months after Minnehaha Falls was reduced to a dribble, the Twin Cities landmark is back flowing freely.
In October, Hennepin County entered the "Extreme Drought" stages for the first time since the designation was created. By the end of the year, Lake Minnetonka was at an 8.5-inch deficit.
While the creek is moving once more, the watershed as a whole is still operating at a 5-inch deficit. It's a balance between two extremes, say water experts.
"To go from one drastic condition, whether it's drought or flooding, and then have the opposite happen... It's a sign of zooming out climate change," said Tiffany Schaufler of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District.
With additional snow melt and rain this spring, the watershed could reach a normal state by early June, Schaufler says.
"So far, 2023 has been anything but normal," she said. "But a little extra would be helpful. We also don't want too much extra... As a water manager, it's like, can we just have a normal year? But normalness seems to be changing constantly."