Crime & Safety

Flooding Threat Passed for Rivers in Eureka Area—For Now

Public safety officials said there was minor flooding that triggered road closures around Eureka over the weekend but expects them to stay clear for now.

The heavy rain that drenched Eureka in the past week triggered some minor flooding in the area, but public safety officials say the threat has likely passed.

The Big River, which flows into the Meramec River just south of Eureka near Hoene Spring, breached its banks and forced the closure of several streets through most of Saturday and Sunday.Eureka Fire Department Deputy Chief Mullins said the agency had "it all pre-planned out" when they saw water levels rising.

The streets closed by the flooding were portions of Highway W and Twin Rivers Road. The Meramac River, which according to the National Weather Service crested at 6 feet above flood stage Sunday morning, also shut down Hunter’s Ford in nearby Pacific, Mo.

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However, the National Weather Service, which maintains a gauge at Eureka, said the Meramac had fallen back below flood stage by Monday. The agency predicts it will rise slightly again through Thursday and then level off.

Mullins agreed, saying that he also did not expect, with the current forecast, any more flood-related issues.

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Mullins added that flooding on that set of roads was very typically in periods of heavy rain and, indeed, last week’s events were not the first time this spring drivers have had their routes cut off.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that heavy rains the weekend of March 16-18 also saw the Meramec and Big rivers surge beyond their banks and flood roads southwest of St. Louis. 

The article notes that it presents a markedly different picture from around this some time last year, when the beginning of a historic drought had choked the two rivers nearly dry. 


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