The Kankakee River has not yet created the flooding concerns in Indiana that it has downstream in Illinois.
But the organization charged with overseeing Indiana’s part of the river is watching carefully.
“It being the Kankakee, you have to keep a close eye on it, and you’re not overconfident, ever,” said Scott Pelath, executive director of the Kankakee River Basin and Yellow River Basin Development Commission.
Days of below-zero cold, followed by heavy snow and then rain, raised concerns, Pelath said.
The cold weather created deep frost in the ground that reduced the soil’s ability to retain water, which then flows more quickly into the creeks and ditches feeding the river.
“When warmer temperatures and liquid precipitation follow such conditions, the risk of ice jams increases,” a news release from the Kankakee River commission said. “They can block the normal flow of water and pose flood risks to people and property.”
That’s what happened in Wilmington, Illinois, where ice jams raised fears of serious flooding recently.
In Indiana, Pelath said, “We will see ice pile up at bridges and wherever there are obstructions.”
National Weather Service gauges along the river in Indiana have showed the highest level — but not an alarming level yet, Pelath said — at the Lake County community of Shelby.
“The Commission is directly inspecting changing river conditions and monitoring up-to-date projections from the National Weather Service,” the commission’s news release said. “It also retains emergency service contractors in the event of bridge obstructions or bank breaches.”
Also, it urged citizens not to cross the river ice and to be cautious on the riverbanks when the river is high.
Flood status information is available at the National Weather Service site, https://water.weather.gov/ahps/.
Tim Zorn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.