The moving crest

As the water uphill and upstream slowly recedes, the water in the bottom of the basin slowly rises. There is an interesting lag time between the feeder streams and the Red River. The tributaries rise fast and furious within hours of a major rain event or the first hint of spring breakup. But it takes days before the full effects are seen at the big Red. The latest forecast predicts a steady rise to between 38 and 39 feet in Fargo by Saturday morning. That predicted crest is about two feet lower than last year's record level. I suppose that may be somewhat of a relief, but the early arrival of flood season this year has caught most everyone off guard. It's a sprint to the finish.

The soil will remain saturated for quite some time. The sump pumps in our basement will run for weeks, until the water table eventually settles down to summer levels. However, we can do something about the standing water in our yard sooner than that. The transfer pump is currently doing its job, sucking up water from the low spots and and spitting it out to the other side of the flood dike. It's easier than using buckets.