WATER RELEASES REDUCED FROM GAVINS POINT DAM
Water releases from Gavins Point Dam have been steadily reduced to help ease flooding concerns in the tri-state area Missouri River basin.
John Remus, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers River Management Division, says the latest reduction was to occur Friday evening at 6pm:
Remus says the Corps has steadily been reducing flows out of the Yankton dam since Thursday:
Remus says Gavins Point releases will be eventually increased by 4000 cfs per day when the flood threat lessens.
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CLEANUP OF OIL FROM DERAILMENT IN IOWA BEGINS
DOON, Iowa (AP) – Cleanup of an oil spill caused by the derailment of nearly three dozen oil tankers in northwestern Iowa has begun.
Lyon County Sheriff Steward Vander Stoep says between 30 and 40 semitrailers containing cleanup equipment had arrived at the scene near Doon, Iowa, by Friday afternoon.
No one was injured in the derailment. The BNSF Railway Company is leading the cleanup effort. It is unclear how long the cleanup process will take, but floodwaters will complicate the situation as they quickly carry the raw oil plume downstream and into the Rock River which flows through the city of Rock Valley.
Already in a state of emergency due to flooding, and despite more than 400 volunteers sandbagging, a dozen square blocks had to be evacuated in Rock Valley as water breached some areas.
The concern is heightened now as residents there brace for crude oil from the upstream derailment to wash through town, continuing the path to the Big Sioux River, and ultimately the Missouri River at Sioux City.
BNSF spokesman Andy Williams says 33 oil tanker cars hauling crude oil from Alberta, Canada, derailed around 4:30 a.m. Friday just south of Doon. Williams says some of the tankers were compromised, causing the oil to leak into floodwaters and eventually into the rain-swollen Little Rock River, but officials don’t yet have an exact number of tankers that leaked oil.
Williams says clean-up crews are working to contain the oil as close to the derailment as possible using containment booms, skimmers and vacuum trucks.
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RIB FEST TO BENEFIT CAMP HIGH HOPES
Great BBQ and music for a great cause will be taking place Saturday at the Battery Park parking lot of Sioux City’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
It’s the annual “Rib Fest” to benefit Camp High Hopes.
Funds raised will support programs for kids and adults with disabilities at Camp High Hopes on Correctionville Road.
There’s a $10 entry fee at the gate with kids 12 and under admitted free.
You can then purchase a $10 punch card to taste BBQ ribs and chicken cooked by the competing teams.
The event runs from 11am-4pm on Saturday at the corner of 4th and Water Streets at the west end of downtown.
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SOUTH DAKOTA FLOODING TO CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – The National Weather Service says river flooding in southeastern South Dakota will continue into the weekend after days of heavy rain.
The agency says impacted rivers include the Little Sioux, Big Sioux, Vermillion, Rock, Floyd, Redwood and Split Rock Creek. Moderate to major flooding is forecast.
Officials have closed South Dakota Highway 46 at the Iowa state line because of flooding on the road. South Dakota Highway 19 also is closed 16.5 miles (27 kilometers) north of Vermillion.
The state Transportation Department also has closed the bridge over Split Rock Creek on state Highway 11 south of Brandon. Traffic is detoured.
Many rural roads in the region are flooded or barricaded, and some home basements have been flooded. No injuries have been reported.
