Burlington

River receding; flood warning set to expire

Riverside Park in Burlington is flooded shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. The Fox River was receding over the course of the morning and was expected to drop below flood stage later Wednesday. (Photo by Ed Nadolski)

It appears Burlington has dodged significant flooding as the Fox River through the heart of the city began to recede Wednesday, according to levels recorded by the National Weather Service’s Sullivan office.

The flood warning for the area is scheduled to expire at 4:35 p.m. Wednesday.

According to the NWS, the water level crested at 11.27 feet early Wednesday morning, after resulting in minor flooding in and around Riverside Park in the city and covering a portion of Brever Road in the township about four miles south. Flood stage in the area is 11 feet.

“Thanks to all of you of being patient as we monitored this event,” Mayor Jeannie Hefty wrote in a post on her Facebook page early Wednesday afternoon. “I sincerely understand the concern and anxiety
after what we withstood in July 2017.”

Hefty said the city’s emergency management team planned to meet again Wednesday afternoon to further assess the situation.

Further to the south, in New Munster, the Fox River was at 13.36 feet, more than two feet above flood stage. The NWS has predicted the river there will crest late Wednesday or early Thursday at about 13.6 feet. That is below the threshold of 13.8 feet when some homes in that area become breached by floodwaters.

This graph, provided by the National Weather Service, shows the Fox River in Burlington cresting at 11.27 feet, slightly above flood stage for the area.

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