WHEN I LEARNED late Wednesday afternoon of serious river bank erosion by the Faribault Woolen Mill Dam following recent flooding, one word crossed my mind—Rapidan. Last week the Blue Earth River skirted the Rapidan Dam, eroding the earth and creating a new river channel that eventually claimed buildings, trees and more.
Right now I don’t see that happening in my community. The dam, the river, the landscape differ. In Faribault, crews worked to mitigate further erosion by piling boulders on the north side of the mill dam. That’s a temporary fix until water levels drop and officials can check for damage to the dam.
I stopped briefly Wednesday evening to see firsthand what is happening at the two dams on the Cannon River. Water levels remain high, although lower than they have been. But more rain is predicted in the next several days. Exactly what we don’t need.
#
NOTE: I did not have my 35 mm Canon camera with me so I had to use my cellphone to shoot these photos, thus I could not zoom in to take better, clearer images.
© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
You are an on the scene reporter, Audrey. Covering serious water conditions and the effect on your community. Sorry for all the damage.
I heard about this via other media, then stopped after our Wednesday evening concert in the park to see for myself what was happening at the dam. And, yes, I still have that news reporter instinct, desire to see firsthand. I only regret that I didn’t have my Canon with me.
I sure hope it’s all ok!
As far as I know, all is under control. But we did get another 1.55 inches of rain in the past two days and more today.
Oh, goodness- more rain was not what was needed. Glad it’s ok for now. This has been a crazy year.
This has, indeed, been a crazy year!
it sounds like your area is prepared, prayers and hopes in engineering to you all
Thank you, Beth. I haven’t been down to the dam site since Wednesday evening, but assume all is holding at this point, despite the additional 1.55 inches of rain and more falling today.