St. Croix River flooding impacting homes and businesses in Minnesota, Wisconsin
ST. CROIX RIVER, Minn. — Flooding is impacting towns along the St. Croix River, with Washington County declaring a state of emergency on Friday.
As of Saturday afternoon, the St. Croix River is at just under 88 feet at Stillwater, near what's considered moderate flood stage, with the water continuing to rise. A crest is anticipated for Monday at just over 88 feet.
A little flooding is the price Steve Blake pays for a front row view of the St. Croix River from his Bayport home.
Water is currently at a 1.5 feet inside his garage, Blake said.
"Ranges anywhere from a couple inches to there was one year we had about six feet in our garage. That point, I was kind of worried about losing my house," said Blake.
He's not the only one dealing with high water Saturday, so are several of his neighbors. Some have placed orange netting over garage openings to help keep out floating debris, like trees.
There's a four-foot flood wall protecting Blake's home, but you'll have to take his word for it, since it's somewhere underwater.
"We're meant to flood in and out, they're built this way and so the water comes and goes. It's just a matter of clean up. It's a bit of a pain in the butt," said Blake.
Across the border in Hudson, Wisc., flooding has taken over the Hudson waterfront.
"This is probably one of the worst I've ever seen," said Jay Langer.
For 26 years, Langer has owned Ink Factory Tattoos. He's been keeping tabs on the encroaching water, taking pictures of if it since mid-week.
"I've seen it worse once and that was in 1998," said Langer.
To make matters worse, Langer said the flooding is hurting not only his business, but also neighboring businesses. It's hurt his walk in traffic, he said.
"I just hope that none of these buildings go under," said Langer.
For now, Langer said he's just taking it day by day, keeping a watchful eye on the water.
"It is what it is. You live in the valley, you've got to deal with it," said Langer.