With heavy rains affecting Osawatomie, please know the City of Osawatomie is closely monitoring its ponding areas near the levee as well as river levels.
The city has received a tremendous amount of rain in a very short time. As a result, four stationary pumps have been running since yesterday, and three more have been brought in to handle excess water. Right now, the biggest concern is interior drainage since the Marais des Cygnes and Pottwatomie Creek are both full. The city’s storm water systems can no longer handle this large amount of runoff through gravity
and discharge it into the river.
Everything is being done at this time to keep up with the ongoing rainfall.
City officials are also continuing to monitor Pottawatomie Creek water levels, both visually and by river gauge. Based on current weather data, there is a 50-percent chance the stop-log gap closure on the southwest side of the levee, where rail traffic passes through, could be closed. However, based on current river level projections, the gap closure at the South Sixth Street levee opening should remain open.
(Read more: Osawatomie news)