RAPIDAN TOWNSHIP, Minn. – The wild Blue Earth Riverwhat caused an abutment of the 114-year-old Rapidan Dam is partially failinghas now swallowed most of it the iconic Rapidan Dam Store which is located on a nearby dike.
Blue Earth County officials say the collapse occurred Tuesday evening and they continue to monitor for possible impacts downstream. Officials will provide an update on the situation at 10 a.m. on Wednesday
The dam is located approximately 14 miles south of Mankato, just north of the County Road 9 Bridge.
WCCO spoke Monday with Jenny Barnes, whose family owns it the house and the business for more than 50 years. While she was baking cakes to sell that morning, she heard that the river was destroying a nearby Xcel Energy substation.
‘It’s very close to the house. We had to evacuate this morning and get as much out as possible. All the freezers and things like that,” Barnes said. “It’s my childhood. I grew up in the house, I grew up in the checkers shop. I’ve been there all my life.”
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Rapid erosion soon cut the ground beneath the house, leaving the east side hanging above a cliff.
“For some people this is a historical monument. For us, it’s a life-changing event,” said resident Shannon Whittet.
According to provincial officials, the dam is still in an “imminent state of failure,” but the threat of a breach has diminished. Sheriff Jeff Wersal said Tuesday that water levels would not be this high in a “catastrophic event.”
If the dam completely collapses, county leaders say the river could rise about another foot. There is a levee system that protects the city and officials are confident it will hold.
According to the Blue Earth County Historical Society, the dam opened in 1910, doubling Mankato’s electricity capacity.
The National Inventory of Dams assessed the dam as being in poor condition as of April 2023 and classified its hazard potential as “significant.”
The Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are still assessing the damage.
