Know your river: Local water quality specialist analyzes flood stages on South Skunk

Joe Otto grew up around the Skunk River in Colfax.

A water quality specialist for Iowa Environmental Council, Otto recently came back to the Colfax area and started studying the river again, as he once did for his studies in college.

When he received alerts on his phone about early September flooding on the river, Otto took it upon himself to inform his social media community what the warnings mean.

“I thought people might find it interesting, so I started posting it on Facebook,” Otto said. “I like to think people appreciate the information. It got shared quite a few times (on Facebook).”

Recently, Otto took to the Colfax Hot Spot Facebook page to explain the flood warnings from the National Weather Service, and what each color-coded flood level means for the Skunk River to give people more perspective on flood warnings.

When the flood stage is at 15 feet, it will appear as yellow, which means it should be monitored. Orange is at 18 feet when the water is one foot below where the levy can be breached, and when people should start preparing to evacuate.

Red is at 20 feet, which means the levy is breached and the northeast part of Colfax will see flooding. Purple will be when the railroad is under water and represent the same levels as the floods from 2010 and 1993.

“It’s kind of like a color-coded system, similar to the Department of Homeland Security’s threat assessment for flying into airports or the National Forest Service’s risk for fire,” Otto said. “The National Weather Service has flood-monitoring stations at Skunk River in Colfax. It transmits that data that you can view it online.”

This was a stressful summer for river watchers in Jasper County. In July, Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Jasper and three other counties in response to flooding and severe weather beginning June 14 and continuing through that weekend.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the South Skunk River in Colfax, on July 1, reached 18.3 feet, about two feet above flood stage. The river did not breach the city’s levy, but Colfax Public Works Director Bob Rhone noted the standing water in the Jasper County Fairgrounds and stress put on the city’s stormwater system.

According to Jasper County Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Sparks, about 300 to 350 homes in Jasper County sustained some type of water damage — primarily from excessive rain and groundwater infiltration into basements, as well as sewer back-ups in mid-July.

For now, Otto’s main concern is if a flood gets high enough to make contact with the historic Red Bridge near Reasnor and causes it to break and collapse. Otto said the bridge is about 20 miles south of Colfax, crossing over the Skunk River.

“I’m very concerned that if a big flood comes, it will be the last straw, and the bridge will collapse, fall into the river and won’t be salvaged,” Otto said. “It’s the very last historic trust bridge we have in the county.”

Contact Orrin Shawl at
641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or oshawl@newtondailynews.com