Overflowing creek causes flood in Pipestone

Talk about it

PIPESTONE — Torrential downpours in the southwest corner of the state over the weekend caused significant flooding Sunday morning when Pipestone Creek crested.

The swollen creek, at 20.71 feet of water, overflowed onto roadways and resulted in flooding of basements.

“Anything over 15 feet is our accident state where we start preparing for flooding,” Sherriff Dan Delaney said.

The National Weather Service reported a total of 3.55 inches of rain in the city of Pipestone, but Delaney said the approximately 6 inches of rain that fell east of the city, near Holland, contributed to the flood.

“All of that water comes into Pipestone through the creek,” he added.

County roads in 12 locations were closed and six other roadways barricaded due to the flood. Apart from wind damage, no injuries or accidents have been reported.

Water in the Pipestone Creek began to rise at 2 a.m. Saturday, Delaney said, but mandatory evacuation of residents was unnecessary.

“We kept in contact with them so they were aware of the potential flooding,” he said.

The Pipestone Creek water level has been steadily decreasing and was at 15 feet as of Monday.

Elsewhere, there were no floods reported in Jackson, Cottonwood, Rock or Nobles counties.

Daily Globe Reporter Ana Anthony may be reached at 376-7321.

Tags: news, overflowing, creek, causes, flood, pipestone