One advantage of high water: More fishing spots, including this area along 3rd St and Hinkle Creek.
Veterans Park was mostly under water when the river crested Saturday (Photo by Dawne Schminke)
Vinton residents awoke on Saturday to hear some unexpectedly good news: This flood is over.
"We crested this morning," said EMA Director Scott Hansen.
Two factors resulted in higher river predictions than actually happened, said Hansen.
First, a river gauge in Waterloo was reading one foot higher than the actual level, said Hansen. Second, the predicted rains along the Cedar River valley north of Vinton did not fall as expected. Both of those factors contributed to the 20.8 foot crest that had been predicted on Friday.
"It's over," said Kip Schoettmer, the owner of John's Tire, which was one of the businesses flooded in 2008. Schoettmer and his crew began the day by removing sandbags from the front door of the business.
Risk remains
Hansen and other area residents and emergency personnel remember clearly 2008 when, at the end of May, a series of heavy rains flooded Henkle Creek in Vinton. Then two weeks later, the real flood came.
"Obviously, we are not taking anything down," said Hansen, referring to the sand-filled Hesco barriers that surround the Vinton Fire Station and the Vinton Municipal Electrical Utility (VMEU) buildings.
Rain is forecast for most days over the coming week, and heavy rains could again create substantial flood risks.
Previous flood stories
Click below for some earlier stories with photos showing the rising water and the effort to create the sand-filled barriers protecting facilities from the rising water:
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