St. Louis Flooding

[bill marvel]

   If you have been seeing or hearing about the flooding in the Midwest, St. Louis is getting a fair share.  Unlike the floods of '86 and '93, the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers are not to blame this time.  But small creeks, streams and rivers can do lots of damage.

For you who have attended Lafayette Esquadrille's Ice-O-Lated or Broken Arrow contests, picture this.  The intersection of State Highway 141 and I-44 is under about 8 feet of water as I write this.  Those who are familiar with our flying circles in Buder Park will remember that intersection is only a few hundred yards from the flying field.  The Meramec River which is the north boundary of Buder Park will not crest until tomorrow.  I got one glimpse of the park on the news.  It appeared to be under water.  The Steak N Shake which is located directly across I-44 was still dry but the news reported that they expect it to be flooded by Saturday morning.  If that is so, the covered pavilion at Buder Park will be under water again before this is over.

State Highway 141 is the only access into Buder Park and it is closed.  I would love to have pictures but the Town of Valley Park is discouraging spectators.  I don't blame them.  They are struggling to limit damage and don't need to waste resources on gawkers.

I'll let you know when I know more.

regards,
bill marvel

[Crist Rigotti]

Wow!  Here I thought that shoveling 2 inches of snow off the circles was tough.  Control line submarines anyone?

Hang in there everybody in St. Louis! 

[Bill Adair]

Hey Bill,

That's my old stomping grounds. 

Our old farm is south of 141, and five miles west of old Hwy 21.

We used to swim at Spring Lake Park on Hwy 141 in summer.

Lived there till I was seventeen years old, and don't remember ever seeing Hwy 141, or old Hwy 21 under water! 

Bill

[Keith Spriggs]

Bill, That is unbelievable. I am familiar with the places you are talking about. I never dreamed that water got that deep there.

[Randy Powell]

I don't know the places, but I've seen stuff underwater here. When the river rises, get to high ground.

Hope everyone comes through OK.

[Larry Lindburg]

Bill,   Currently our flying site in Peoria is OK but was flooded for most of January and February.   The good news is that the debris brought in with the water was minimal this time.   Good luck with your situation.

[bill marvel]

We did get a break or two.  It has not continued to rain so there is a limit to the flooding.  The expected levels have be revised downward by a foot or two on the Meramec River.  On the news this morning, we saw the 141/I-44 intersection is now under 11 feet of water but I-44 has remained open.  The Steak N Shake has water almost up to the base of the building but it looks like it will be spared.

The good news is that the current reports are showing some water receding.  The flooding will only exceed record levels in a few locations.  The new Valley Park levee, completed in 2005, has been completely effective.   141 will probably reopen by Monday or Tuesday.  The Meramec will likely be back in its banks by next weekend.  Maybe we can get into the park next Saturday and see how we can help to clean up our circles.

The bad news is that we had 30 inches of snow this year.  The ground is saturated.  Spring is our wet season.  Stay tuned.

regards,
bill marvel

[the original Steve Smith]

We did get a break or two.  It has not continued to rain so there is a limit to the flooding.  The expected levels have be revised downward by a foot or two on the Meramec River.  On the news this morning, we saw the 141/I-44 intersection is now under 11 feet of water but I-44 has remained open.  The Steak N Shake has water almost up to the base of the building but it looks like it will be spared.

The good news is that the current reports are showing some water receding.  The flooding will only exceed record levels in a few locations.  The new Valley Park levee, completed in 2005, has been completely effective.   141 will probably reopen by Monday or Tuesday.  The Meramec will likely be back in its banks by next weekend.  Maybe we can get into the park next Saturday and see how we can help to clean up our circles.

The bad news is that we had 30 inches of snow this year.  The ground is saturated.  Spring is our wet season.  Stay tuned.

regards,
bill marvel

One of the side effects of the Valley Park levee is more flooding in Buder Park.  The levee is just across the Meremec from Buder so guess where the water goes!

I guess we will be out of commission for several weeks and after that we will have to shovel silt!   

Steve

[Bill Little]

My best wishes to y'all.  I have seen enough flooding to know I really don't like it.  We are in such a drought that we are having regular fire warnings.  I sincerely hope the worst is over for y'all.

[john e. holliday]

Could have been worse as the saying goes.  I remember the first times I used to go to Buder Park.  They had the little houses on stilts on the north side of the park and you could drive in either from the north or the south.  Now only one entrance and hope the local train isn't moving.  I hope no one was hurt with the flooding.  DOC Holliday

[Michael Floerchinger]

I had been flying at Buder Park since I was 10, I still remember the Summer houses just to the west of the RC field. There used to be an elevated “Tower” with a roof on it at the Control Line field and had seen that get close to under water. I have seen the water to the shoulder of 44, seems the higher the levees get the more flooding occurs, the river cannot spread out anymore, the water just gets higher. 

Mike

[bill marvel]

Buder Park is still closed.  The Meramec River is back in its banks but barely.  I could only walk a few hundred feet into the park.  The asphalt park road was pretty muddy.  I took a few pictures but I was a long distance away.  I could see the speed cage.  It appeared undamaged except for trash and limbs in the fence.  The fence is about 8 feet tall and the water seems to have been 6-7 feet deep.  That would be similar to the 1993 flood.  The square pad and the donut are visible toward the tree line in the center of the picture.  They both look fairly clear but likely are covered with silt.  In the picture, water is still standing.  That is the southwest corner near the railroad crossing.  The area is still under perhaps a foot of water but is not used for flying.  The challenge will be to get the circles clean and the park open.  Model airplane sites are understandably low on the county's priority list.  We are fortunate to have a good alternate site.

regards,
bill marvel

[Crist Rigotti]

Where's the alternate site?

[bill marvel]

Where's the alternate site?

Hey, Crist:

The club's alternate site is the parking lot of a nightclub in Collinsville, Illinois, just across the Mississippi.  I understand that the Ice-O-Lated was held there one year (1993?).  That was before I moved to St. Louis.  We have an agreement with the owner.  The only real limit is that we must be packed up and cleared out by 5 PM to avoid conflicting with his business.  I understand that several members of Lafayette Esquadrille who live in Illinois fly at that site fairly regularly.

regards,
bill marvel

[Larry Lindburg]

Hi Bill,  Does the park police still have the gate locked?   You guys might try a small lawn tractor with a snow blade rather than the manual labor to deal with the silt.   Good luck!!