2,220-foot berm being built in Stillwater as river levels start to rise
STILLWATER, Minn. -- The St. Croix River in Stillwater is expected to keep rising over the next week. To prepare, the city is building a flood barrier along the waterfront.
Stillwater hired a contractor to build a temporary berm stretching 2,200 feet long and 20 feet wide along the waterfront, all to protect downtown.
"They dump the sand and then wrap the sand in poly to protect the sand from getting wet," said Shawn Sanders, an engineer and the director at Stillwater Public Works.
Sanders says the berm should be finished by Thursday, just in time for a big rise in the river.
"Within the next week it's going to rise four feet, so the river is going to start coming up," said Sanders, "How high it comes up? We just don't know yet, but it is starting to rise."
Stillwater is no stranger to spring flooding. The last time they built a berm like this was four years ago in spring of 2019, and they've learned how to operate a well-oiled assembly line.
"Every day we've seen more and more sand be added, so pretty crazy," said Erika Wallace, the director of operations of Dock Café.
Dock Cafe is at one edge of the berm and offers the best view of the rising waters, and people have been coming by for a front-row seat.
"We've had people come by every single week just to check what's going on, so I think that's really fun just to see how the river is rising and where we're going to be week after week," said Wallace.
Wallace hopes to keep her restaurant running as long as possible.
"We are open and we're ready to continue serving until we absolutely cannot anymore," said Wallace.
If you're planning to visit Stillwater over the next couple of weeks, the berm means a lot of trails, roads, and parking lots are closed near the river.
