If this year seems wetter than normal, you’re not alone.
Kankakee River Basin and Yellow River Basin Development Commission Executive Director Scott Pelath has been watching conditions throughout the watershed.
“This has been a very heavy year for precipitation. There should be no debate about it,” he said.
May was a dry month, but every other month since February has been wetter than normal, and August is shaping up to be the same.
Fortunately, the Kankakee River has had enough capacity to handle the additional rainfall.
“It’s a lot of water. I will say if you look at what’s going on in central Indiana, we’re counting our blessings,” Pelath said. Eleven inches of rain in a short time is way too much for rivers to absorb.
The Kankakee at Shelby is at action stage now, he said. On Thursday, the water depth was 9.88 feet, compared to 5.09 feet a year ago. Elsewhere along the river looks fine for now. “We’re grateful that we’ve been able to cope with it,” Pelath said
There have been trees knocked down that will need to be addressed, but crews have already been working to clear those snags.
The danger Pelath is concerned about is when the river banks are saturated, some root systems let go, sending more trees into the river and weakening the banks.
The commission is watching virtual rain gauges throughout the watershed to see what to expect downstream.
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Later this year, the commission plans to remove the iconic State Line Bridge that hangs so low over the river that it collects snags. Having it out of the way will help the flow of water in the Kankakee, but the water level needs to be lower to allow the bridge removal to begin, Pelath said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.