The view from Fargo

I had expected to have significant flood damage to report in the Fargo-Moorhead city limits. But due to the slow creep of the spring thaw, and the limited rainfall, the Red River crested lower than what was predicted by the NWS. The river level didn't even reach 39 feet, which makes it lower than the past two years. Both cities had been preparing for the worst possible scenario for weeks, even months. All of their diligent preparation paid off (see photos above). Therefore, disaster was averted. It really ended up feeling like just another major spring flood on a river that has one almost annually. There's your wet, silver lining.

The water runs downhill

The vernal pond in our front yard was growing by the day, fed by snowmelt and unable to drain completely because of the high river level on the other side of the levee. Oh, the transfer pump did its job and kept the shores from reaching our house, but those still waters run deep. Until last night. The river had ebbed enough to open the culvert gate and...whoosh! A stormy current of ice cold water rushed out to the river. The soil is still super-saturated though. Our sump pump in the basement cycles on and off constantly. It will take weeks for that to dry out.

The chorus of pumps

Last night, I heard the echoes of small gas engines running throughout the township, as farmers began to transfer pooling snowmelt from inside their earthen levees to the flowing water on the other side. Drainage culverts are gated and locked to prevent the flowing water from backing into farmyards.

I started my pump to join in the chorus. I ran it for a few hours until dusk. You don't run a trash pump while you sleep unless it's absolutely necessary. The pump could go dry and then seize up without the benefit of water to lubricate the moving parts.

Today, it appears that the south branch of the Wild Rice River crested around noon -- perhaps not for the last time. But a series of moderate crests over a period of days is better than a major deluge all at once. There also happens to be a river flowing in our basement from the saturated soils seeping through the foundation walls. The sump pump is triggered about every five minutes. I wonder when the basement will crest?

The flood is on

It's difficult to say when it actually began, because the slow overland melt has been occurring for about two weeks already. But the tipping point for major flooding surely was when the storm expected to bring snow over the weekend turned warmer and gave us rain instead. That's when the fields quickly turned liquid. From the air, I imagine the landscape looks like a giant thawing waffle, with the syrupy water overflowing from one section to another.

The field across the road from our house crested last night. It might sound strange to talk about a farm field having a flood crest, but this time of year, every piece of land has potential for temporary water storage. The road leading from our house to the nearest town appears to be safe. But the river continues to rise, first quickly, then slowly.

The view from Norman County

This is a common sight now. Rural farmhouses formerly surrounded by fields of snowdrifts are losing ground to an expanding lakeshore. It shouldn't be surprising or alarming. Migrating waterfowl have been using these "prairie potholes" for millennia. March has welcomed geese, ducks, and even swans to these temporary, cool pools. If tradition holds, the elegant and ancient cranes will arrive in April. It will be wet for awhile. All we can do is enjoy the view.

The winter that won't end

Our little river was rising significantly and turning into a big river until...until the cold March storm hit. It started as rain and thunder, transitioned to ice and then snow. Now the river is resting again, asleep until winter's claw releases control of the season. But the basement of our house continues to seep. I think the soil is well on its way to thawing out, even if above ground winter has the day.

The landscape is quiet

The wheel of time is creaking slowly on a frozen axis. Puddles form in the fields and ditches. Bare patches of grass are revealed on south-facing slopes. Tributaries are rising slowly. The day-melt and night-freeze cycle is good for sap flow in the trees and for moderating flood potential. But it is now spring and the seasonal precipitation is the final determining factor for the flood equation of 2011. As of today, it remains unsolved.