The raging Rum River in Anoka is a go-to spot for people who want to see the pure power and fury of nature.
“It could take down this whole dam if it wanted to,” said Brenden Lusthoff of Anoka. “If it got angry enough, yeah.”
“Fantastic,” said Mike Sorenson of Andover. “Hopefully no one’s complaining about a drought any more. Hopefully it doesn’t flood and hurt homes and stuff. But it’s pretty cool to see.”
“Wow,” said Blaine resident Nancy Leff. “Powerful. Nature is a strong force you don’t want to mess with.”
For some, this is a historic snapshot in time. The Rum is angry and they want to see it.
Said Sorenson: “Never seen it this high,”
“Absolutely,” Lusthoff said. “By a long shot.”
“I come check out the flood every year,” Leff said. “This is the highest I’ve seen it.”
“I don’t think you can stop it”
Mankind can put up dams and other river road blocks, but the reality is, the Rum is going to flow south and drain into the Mississippi on its own terms.
“I don’t think you can stop it,” Sorenson said. “It’s just crazy. It’s not stoppable right now. This river decides to go crazy, it’s going to.”
It’s been decades since the Rum was this full of water.
Said Lusthoff: “I’m concerned.”
“Been a long winter,” said Randy Perkins of Champlin..
After seeing the Rum, Perkins had flashbacks to 1965 – when the river crested even higher than this spring.
“You couldn’t see the dam,” Perkins said. “It was just one river. It went right up over the top of the dam. That’s what got my attention.”
Despite his concerns, the rising water didn’t phase Lusthoff.
“I’ve been fishing here for five or six years now,” Lusthoff said.
He and other anglers like these conditions for fishing.
“Still great,” Lusthoff said. “The walleye have moved up on the rocks. They’re spawning. They’re not affected really. If anything they’re affected in a positive manner.”
Mighty Mississippi spills its banks
Meanwhile, down river in Champlin, the liquid ribbon known as the mighty Mississippi spilled its banks. Ole Miss flexed its muscle, flooding Mississippi Point Park, engulfing signs, barbecues and anything in the way.
“Those larger rivers are probably going to be cresting probably at the end of this week,” said Dawn Doering from the Coon Creek Watershed Distreict. “The Mississippi, Rum area.”
The early April heat wave fostered a quick meltdown, as a record snow pack with plenty of h2o in it entered rivers and streams.
“There’s a lot of water up north and it’s still coming down,” Perkins said.
” Crazy,” Leff said. “The snow hasn’t even melted yet from Duluth.”
“There’s still snow up north,” Lusthoff said. “The more snow up north, the more water we get down here.”
Some parks and trails along the swollen Mississippi are closed and the current is flowing fast, carrying lots of debris on its way to the Gulf . The river is expected to crest just shy of 15 feet.
” If you’re going to look at it, stay safe,” Leff said. “Don’t be right next to the water. Don’t get in a canoe.”
A few miles south at River Park in Brooklyn Park, the Mississippi’s overflow turned a boat launch and a picnic area into a mini lake.
“It’s impressive,” Doering said. “I’ve been around the area for a long time so I remember back to ’93 and the flooding at that time.”
“It’s getting higher,” Perkins said. “But I think it’s getting pretty close, according to the meteorologists, it’s getting pretty close to peak.”
Earlier this week Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a bi-partisan bill that put $40 million into the state’s disaster assistance fund which can be used for people impacted by floods.