Residents along Wapsi River live with the flooding

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By Steven Martens | Friday, April 18, 2008 |

The buildings at Walnut Grove Park in Clinton County, just north of Toronto, Iowa, along the Wapsipinicon River are dry, but a few of the campsites are partially under water. (John Schultz/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

TORONTO, Iowa — Linda Borchers has a nice view from her kitchen window of the Wapsipinicon River that flows just north of her home in Toronto.

But lately, the river has been closer than usual.

The Wapsi has been above its flood stage of 11 feet south of DeWitt since April 4, and the rain predicted to fall in the area today and Saturday likely will delay the river from receding for a few more days, said Jeff Zogg, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service in the Quad-Cities.

The river level was at 12.1 feet south of DeWitt on Thursday afternoon and was expected to remain steady over the next few days before receding next week.

While the flooding may seem unusually bad this year, Zogg said it is only so in comparison to the last few years when the spring was unusually dry.

“The flooding we’re experiencing this spring is actually closer to normal that what we’ve been having,” Zogg said.

Borchers, who has lived in her home on the banks of the Wapsi for more than 20 years, said she has seen worse flooding, but she still feels for those affected by the high waters.

“I feel bad for the farmers because last year by this time they were already in the fields getting crops in,” she said.

Bill Horstman, who farms just north of Toronto, said he is not overly concerned about the water in his fields, but he may be if heavy rains cause the river to rise more.

“I hope we miss it,” he said.

Horstman said it is more of a problem when the river floods later in the spring after the crops have been planted and it’s too late to replant them when it dries out.

The campground at Walnut Grove Park in Toronto is closed due to the flooding, as are portions of the campgrounds at the Rock Creek Marina and Campground near Folletts and Sherman Park south of Calamus, said Mark Roberts of Clinton County Conservation.

The Wapsi Oaks Country Club just west of Calamus opened Tuesday despite some standing water on parts of the golf course, but it may have to close for the weekend if heavy rains fall, owner Gerald Flint said.

“The ground’s just saturated,” Flint said. “There’s no place for it to go.”

While it is not unusual for the course to have standing water, Flint said it has taken longer to dry out this spring.

Randy Meierotto said he and others who live in the Wildwood Addition south of DeWitt along the north bank of the Wapsi are prepared. Homes in the area are built on high ground or on pillars to guard against the rising river. On Thursday afternoon, Meierotto was working in the garage he built on 6-foot pillars to double as a place for neighborhood residents to socialize.

Most of the homes were still accessible by road Thursday, although Meierotto said he had to wade to his home earlier this spring.

Meierotto said while more rain wouldn’t make things any easier, there’s nothing that can be done about it.

“God’s going to take care of us one way or another,” he said.

Steven Martens can be contacted at (563) 659-2595 or smartens@qctimes.com.