A dam in southern Minnesota built in the early 1900s is in “imminent failure condition,” according to local authorities, as communities across the Upper Midwest continue to deal with major flooding from heavy rains.
The Blue Earth County government announced the risk to the Rapidan Dam near Mankato, Minnesota in a Monday Facebook post.
“The Dam is in imminent failure condition,” the county said. “We do not know if it will totally fail or if it will remain in place, however we determined it was necessary to issue this notification to advise downstream residents and the correct regulatory agencies and other local agencies.”
The county added that they had first been notified of “accumulating debris” at the dam Sunday. Workers from Blue Earth County Public Works, the emergency management agency, and the sheriff’s office are actively monitoring the dam, according to the Facebook post.
A 2021 study said the dam was in a “state of disrepair.”
The warning over …