CLIMAX, Minn. - The Red River Valley flood fight arrived in the community of Climax Friday, as some 4,000 sandbags were filled to help protect local infrastructure.
Most of the sandbags were used to protect a lift station along the Sand Hill River on the north end of town, according to local Civil Defense Director Jim Litch.
The lift station is at 34 feet, while the river is forecast to rise to about 33 feet by Monday or Tuesday.
A crew from the Polk County Sentence to Serve Program filed about 2,000 sandbags in the morning.
In the afternoon, students from Climax High School took over the sandbag-filling operation, while the Sentence-to-Serve crew secured the lift station, as well as a couple of homes on the north side.
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Friday's sandbag operation was easy, compared with recent flood years, Litch said. In 2009, they filled and placed about 28,000 sandbags. They were used not only in Climax, but in nearby communities of Nielsville and Shelly, Minn., as well as some rural houses.
"This year is easy," Litch said. "I think we're done for a while."
The Sand Hill was at 26.88 feet at 8 a.m. today, after rising about 1.4 feet in 12 hours. In 1979, it reached a record of 39.40 feet.
Reach Bonham at (701) 780-1110; (800) 477-6572, ext. 110; or send e-mail to kbonham@gfherald.com .
