Flooding only minor as rainfall sets record

loading...

If April showers bring May flowers, parts of the state should enjoy near record blooms this month.

As April came to a close over the weekend, most of the state saw rainfall amounts climb to double their monthly averages, with more than 6 inches reported in some areas.

The increased rainfall spurred a number of flooding threats at the end of the week, but those began to dissipate over the weekend as less water fell on the area than had been expected, according to a National Weather Service official.

“We’ve let all our flood warnings [for Aroostook County] expire this afternoon,” Tim Duda, meteorologist for the weather service office in Caribou, said Sunday. “And there’s no major flooding problems being reported, though some local area rivers and streams are still running high.”

As of midafternoon Sunday, water levels at area rivers and lakes appeared to have peaked and were slowly beginning to fall, Duda said. That, along with the fact that the weather service is not forecasting any significant rainfall until next weekend, is very positive news.

“We’re finally going to get a chance to dry out this week,” Duda said. “We could see some showers [this week], but at least through the next seven days, there are no big systems.”

Caribou finished off the month of April with a total of 6.19 inches of precipitation, Duda said, the most rainfall since the weather service began keeping records in 1939. Normally the area receives about 2.6 inches during the month.

Bangor saw 6.35 inches of rainfall for April, up from its average of 3.3 inches.

For some residents, the wetter than usual weather has forced them out of their homes. James and Nicole Bouchard have been living with family since Thursday as floodwaters on the Fish River near Soldier Pond filled their basement and rose to within inches of their home’s first floor.

“The water’s been holding steady since this morning,” James Bouchard said Sunday. “It’s very good news right now.”

While he’s hoping the long-range forecast is accurate and that the lack of rain will allow floodwaters to recede, he added that all his family can do is wait.

“We can’t control Mother Nature,” he said.

The Fish River at Fort Kent was at 10.8 feet (flood stage is 11 feet), while the St. John River at Fort Kent was at 21.7 feet (flood stage, 25 feet) and the Aroostook River at Washburn was at 11.2 feet (flood stage, 14 feet).

At least four families in the Soldier Pond area have left their homes, while many others are using sandbags and as many as five pumps to keep floodwater out of their houses.

In St. Agatha, the water is still high at Long Lake and the causeway to Pelletier Island is still flooded in places, Vernon Ouellette, director of the Aroostook County Emergency Management Agency, said Sunday.

Emergency management officials also are watching high water at other northern Maine lakes where the ice still has not gone out.

“When the ice goes out at Eagle Lake, the Fish River will rise, so we’re keeping a close eye on that,” Ouellette said.

In Fort Kent, the wastewater treatment plant remains shut down because pumps cannot handle the influx of water. Local officials received permission from the state Department of Environmental Protection to pump waste straight into the St. John River, which they have been doing since Saturday, Ouellette said. Officials hope to get the plant back on line in the next day or two, once river levels begin to decrease.

“We should see the rivers going down by tomorrow [Monday], I hope,” Ouellette said.

The Penobscot River also has been running high, prompting many residents along U.S. Route 2 to prepare for the rising waters by tying a canoe to their front steps.

On Saturday, after the river flooded its banks, several dozen watercraft floated in the front yards of Milford residents who live along the roadway that runs parallel to, and often within sight of, the Penobscot.

“Just about every house affected had a canoe or a small boat tied to it,” Milford Fire Chief Chris Matson said Sunday.

The Penobscot crested its banks early Saturday covering Route 2 with several inches of water between the downtown area of Milford and the Greenfield Road in the Costigan area. There were reports of additional flooding along the route as far north as Greenbush.

“There were probably 30 or 40 homes affected,” Matson said. “Most of the residents decided to stay with their homes.

“Really, the only way they were affected is they had no access in and out of their property,” the chief said. “Most of the people tied a canoe to their front steps and that’s how they got to and from their homes.”

The biggest problems were with flooded basements and the occasional flooded private well, Matson said.

“We had a few [homeowners] that had to shut their electricity off and we had a few that had contaminated wells,” he said. “That’s still going on. We have probably half a dozen that we’re checking in with and supplying water to when they need it.”

Eric Russell of the BDN staff contributed to this report.