REGIONAL- The great Rainy River Basin flood is now a thing of the past for folks on Crane Lake and Lake Kabetogama, as lake levels there are within the normal rule curve. Even so, recovery efforts for affected businesses and properties will be ongoing for quite some time.
Meanwhile, water levels at Rainy Lake are dropping, and were down 30 inches this week since the record-breaking peak in June. Levels are expected to drop another 16-18 inches by Monday. That’s enough for the National Weather Service in Duluth to issue its final regular update on the flooding this past Monday with a word of caution.
“Rainy Lake will stay several feet above regulated levels over the next couple weeks, despite decreases, and widespread flooding and impacts to shoreline property may continue but impacts should lessen,” the update said. At the present rate of decline, Rainy Lake levels should return to regulated levels in early to mid-August.
Disaster assistance
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Small Business Administration (SBA) will be visiting the area next week to see the damage caused by the historic flood firsthand and gather data to determine the availability of individual assistance or low-cost loans, said Rep. Rob Ecklund, DFL-International Falls. Toward that end, Ecklund encouraged those who haven’t yet done so to report property damage to St. Louis County Emergency Management.
Any property owners who sustained flood damage to their primary residence since April 22 are asked to complete an online damage assessment survey by no later than this Friday, July 15. The survey can be found online at stlouiscountymn.gov/damageinfo.
The worst of the flooding during this time period occurred in the Rainy River/Rainy Lake Basin area, however flooding also affected areas on the Iron Range, Fredenberg Township and other locations. Property owners in those places with flood damage should also complete the survey.
Separate from any possible federal assistance, the survey information will also be reviewed by the St. Louis County Assessors Department as it works to determine possible property tax relief as part of its damage assessment process. That work is expected to be completed by the end of July, but is contingent upon water levels being conducive to allow for proper field inspections. 
Sandbags and debris
Nearly 200,000 sandbags were filled in St. Louis County to combat the flood, and now that the waters have receded they need to be properly disposed of. Used sandbags are considered contaminated because of bacteria and other pathogens in flood water and should not be emptied out for use on beaches or in yards.
St. Louis County Public Works and contractors will provide free curbside pickup of used sandbags in the Crane Lake, Kabetogama and Ash River areas on four consecutive Wednesdays: July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 10 and Aug. 17. Residents and private business owners should leave sandbags at the end of their driveway by these dates to be collected.
Property owners also have the option to haul bags themselves to established drop-off sites. These drop-off sites are for sandbags only, and include:
• Kabetogama Town Hall, 9707 Gamma Road, Kabetogama.
• Anderson Outfitters, 7255 Crane Lake Road, Crane Lake.
• Frontier Resort, 10141 Ash River Trail, Orr.
Anyone with questions about sandbag disposal options should contact St. Louis County Emergency Management at 218-625-3960 or email johnsond@stlouiscountymn.gov.
Free disposal of sorted flood-related debris is available at three St. Louis County Environmental Services container sites during the week of July 25. The sites include:
• Ash River Canister Site, 11391 Ash River Trail. This site will be open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Kabetogama Lake Canister Site, 10280 Gamma Road. This site will be open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Portage Canister Site, 6992 Crane Lake Road. This site will be open Tuesday, 2-6 p.m., Thursday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, 1-5 p.m., and Sunday, 3-6 p.m.
Any materials being dropped off must be separated into five categories: large appliances, electronics, household hazardous waste, demolition materials, and household garbage. For more information, visit stlouiscountymn.gov/garbage or call 1-800-450-9278. The county is considering offering an additional week for free disposal of flood-damaged materials later this summer if there appears to be need.

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