Chippewa River Floods (March 2019 Edition)

Over the past few days warm temperatures and rain have caused most of the snow around Mt. Pleasant to melt.  Unfortunately the ground remained largely frozen so none of the water could filter into the ground.  The water had to go somewhere - it pooled on the surface and where it could flow downhill entered the local waterways.  Enough water entered the streams that flood warnings were issued for the Chippewa River and several other local streams.  Today I stopped at several parks in the Mt. Pleasant to check on the state of the flooding - here are some photos.

My first stop was Chipp-A-Waters Park.  The river here is well over its banks and flowing over the Riverwalk Trail.  I waded in to the top of my boots but could not get down the trail without getting my feet wet.

Looking upriver near the canoe landing - the Riverwalk Trail is on the right.

Water over the trail

Great Blue Heron resting on a stump in the woods.

Pedestrian bridge across the Chippewa River - the bridge abutment to the left normally sits several feet above the river level.

Mallard ducks swimming over what is normally dry land.

Those ducks should have been on a leash!

This tree is in what would normally be the main channel of the river.

My second stop was at Mill Pond Park.  The Riverwalk trail continues through Mill Pond Park, but several sections are flooded over.

Looking upstream from an island at the Leaton St. parking lot.

The flow under a pedestrian bridge at Leaton St.

Water flows over weirs creating standing waves.

Looking downstream from the pedestrian bridge - the glide in the center is the spillway of the first of five weirs with tree trunks hung up on the second weir in the background.

A small footbridge is mostly underwater on the far side of the river.

My final stop was at Pickens Field.  From there I crossed a pedestrian bridge to the north end of Island Park.  Pickens Field is the northern terminus of the Riverwalk Trail

Flooded ballfield at Pickens Field

The Michigan Vietnam Memorial is surrounded by floodwaters

A kayaker paddles down the road at Island Park

Water levels were up to the bottom of the bridge connecting Pickens Field and Island Park

This is not the worst spring flooding Mt. pleasant has experienced in the past decade.  2014 saw approximately the same water levels and the spring floods of 2013 were higher.  If you type "flood" in the search box to the right you can find pictures from several more years.