MANITOWOC COUNTY – Heavy rain from April storms is pushing rivers out of their banks across Manitowoc County, flooding basements, washing out roads and damaging a dam.
More rain expected April 17 as NWS issues flood watch for Manitowoc County
The National Weather Service predicts another 2-3 inches of rain during the next weather event expected April 17, leading NWS to issue another flood watch to be in effect April 17-18.
“With saturated ground, this rainfall may lead to additional flooding,” the NWS alert states.
Shoto Dam on East Twin River erodes as floodwaters surge near Manitowoc
Greg Grotegut, Manitowoc County’s highway commissioner, said his crews worked in the early morning hours April 15 to shore up the Shoto Dam on the East Twin River, which was eroding from the high volume of water going through it.
“We ended up packing rock alongside the Shoto Dam just to hold it up,” he said.
Grotegut said the portion of the dam that was eroding is privately owned, but the county needed to protect nearby structures, including utility pole guidelines.
In 2023, the county built a wall on the nearby bridge at the second dam site to make sure pieces of debris from the first dam did not get behind the wing wall.
Manitowoc County crews repair washed-out roads and culverts after flooding
Grotegut said the dam isn’t the only damage the county is dealing with from the flooding. Road shoulders have been washed out and culvert pipe ends have been blocked.
County crews were starting to fix some of that damage April 16, after flood waters had receded enough for all county highways to be reopened. State 147 near Mishicot remained closed to traffic April 16.
Mishicot flooding closes East Main Street and Washington Street along East Twin River
The village of Mishicot announced closures on East Main Street and Washington Street April 14 as waters rose quickly.
Much of East Main Street in Mishicot, which runs along the East Twin River, has been closed because of the high flood waters.
Alisa M. Schafer is a reporter for the Herald Times Reporter in Manitowoc County, part of the USA TODAY Network-Wisconsin. She can be reached by email at aschafer@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc County flooding worsens as more rain expected April 17
Reporting by Alisa M. Schafer, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter / Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
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