Rapidan Dam Faces Partial Collapse Amidst Minnesota Flooding

 The Blue Earth River, swelling with unprecedented force, has caused the partial failure of the 114-year-old Rapidan Dam, resulting in significant damage to the surrounding area in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The river’s relentless current has already claimed most of a nearby historic home, and the owners of a well-known local store fear that their property may be next.

The collapse of the dam occurred on Tuesday evening, prompting county officials to closely monitor potential downstream impacts. Jenny Barnes, whose family has owned both the home and the Rapidan Dam Store for over 50 years, described the dire situation.

On Monday, while baking pies to sell, Barnes heard the river obliterate a nearby Xcel Energy substation. "It's very close to the house. We had to evacuate this morning, get as much as we could out. All the freezers and such," Barnes said. "It's my childhood. I grew up in the house, I grew up in the dam store. I've been there all my life."

Rapid erosion has carved away the ground beneath the family home, leaving its east side precariously hanging over a cliff before it partially collapsed. The family fears the store will be the next casualty as the river continues to erode the land around it. "My family is sitting here waiting for their history to be washed away minute by minute," said Shannon Whittet, whose uncle, Jim Hruska, bought the store in 1972. "My family has lost their home, they've lost their business, their livelihood and their land will be gone. This isn't a simple situation of something happened, and we will rebuild. The land will be the last thing. And it will be gone."

#Minnesota's Rapidan Dam is in a "state of imminent collapse," local media reports.#UnitedStates #nature #climate #extremeweather #weather pic.twitter.com/S3AgcPXWSS

— Genesis Watchman Report (@ReportWatchman) June 26, 2024

Despite efforts to salvage belongings, not everything could be retrieved from their home before the water's advance. "The water is forceful. It's mighty. It's going to go wherever it wants to go. It will make room for itself at the expense of everything," Whittet said. She added that she'll miss sitting in a booth with her uncle and seeing kids come up to the counter or sit on rocking stools. Since the house was swallowed by the river, people have donated food and water, and have set up a GoFundMe.

The dam remains in "imminent failure condition," according to county officials, but the threat of a breach has diminished. On Tuesday, Sheriff Jeff Wersal said the water level in a "catastrophic event would not be that significant." If there is a full collapse of the dam, county leaders say the river could rise another 2 feet or so. There is a levee system protecting the city and officials are confident it will hold up.

Rapidan Dam, #Minnesota on Verge of Collapse?
The river has eroded earth around the dam and is uncontrolled, dam operators reported.
The Dam itself has not failed but there are growing concerns that it may collapse at some point Monday. #UnitedStates #Nature #climate pic.twitter.com/nwwElXmM5S

— Genesis Watchman Report (@ReportWatchman) June 25, 2024

The Blue Earth County Historical Society says the dam opened in 1910, doubling Mankato's electric power capacity. The National Inventory of Dams rated the dam in poor condition as of April 2023, classifying its hazard potential as "significant." The Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are still assessing the damage.