Why is grand rapids flooding

Grand River Basin. Grand River at Lansing. Grand River at Ionia. Grand River at Lowell. Grand River at Ada. Grand River at Comstock Park.

Grand River at Grand Rapids. Grand River at Robinson Township. Maple River at Maple Rapids. Red Cedar River at East Lansing. Thornapple River at Hastings. Thornapple River at Caledonia. Muskegon River at Bridgeton. Kalamazoo River at Comstock. Portage River at Vicksburg. Chippewa River below Mt. Pine River at Alma. Current Hazards. Submit A Storm Report. Current Conditions. The bridge is being weighed down by a train and the Plaza Towers were evacuated because of rising flood waters.

In , the city had to sandbag behind its traffic safety department at Wealthy Street. A train with cars full of salt was also placed on the CSX bridge over the Grand near Wealthy and Market Avenue in , meant to stabilize it.

The sight of the train on the bridge in made National Weather Service experts nervous. Had it collapsed, it would have severely dammed the flooded river and sent water flowing into downtown and the West Side.

A sand barricade set up to protect the Grand Rapids wastewater treatment facility from flood waters is pictured Sunday, April 21, Sally Finneran MLive. Though the city's wastewater treatment plant was under threat of severe flooding in , officials believe this year the plant is safe due to changes that have been made. The plant processes 40 million gallons of wastewater on a normal day from Grand Rapids and other local communities — and has seen more than double the amount of wastewater this week.

The plant is in a vulnerable position, built below grade between Plaster Creek and the Grand River. In , berms separating the wastewater plant from Plaster Creek had to be bolstered in with a sand wall. Had the wall failed, the plant could have flooded in 36 minutes and been unusable for a month.

A sand barricade set up to protect the Grand Rapids waste water treatment facility from flood waters is pictured Sunday, April 21, However, heavy rain and melting snow early this week meant partially treated sewage at the Market Avenue Retention Basin at the plant overflowed from 10 p. The basin overflows when the plant is overwhelmed — and in the flood, it discharged than million gallons of partially treated sewage into the river.

Since , the city has put together a response plan and has had staff trained multiple times by FEMA. It makes us feel way more comfortable than we ever did. The facility was surrounded by a large sand barricade to protect it from flood waters. Friday, officials had activated their response to prepare for flooding up to 24 feet in some locations — though predictions were calling for a river crest of Actions Facebook Tweet Email.

By: Kevin Craig. Grand River, Kevin Craig. NWS Hydrograph. Copyright Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sign up for the Breaking News Newsletter and receive up to date information.