Corps of Engineers supports town of Campbell, WI, flood response

Photo By Elizabeth Stoeckmann | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, emergency management specialist Jeff McCullick (right) and the town of Campbell Fire Chief Nate Melby (left) discuss flood response as the Mississippi River continues to rise from moderate to major flood conditions. USACE is actively supporting its federal, state, local and Tribal partners in their efforts to reduce flood risk within the Upper Midwest. St. Paul District engineers and emergency management specialists are providing technical assistance to communities in need as well as direct assistance to communities that request our support. The district stands ready to support communities and are prepared to provide flood response material support to include sandbags, pumps or even temporary levee construction if needed.  

TOWN OF CAMPBELL, WI, UNITED STATES

04.27.2023

Story by Elizabeth Stoeckmann 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, deployed flood response engineers and emergency management specialists, along with pumps and hoses to support the town of Campbell, Wisconsin, as the Mississippi River continues to rise from moderate to major flood conditions.

“The Corps of Engineers immediately responded to our request for help,” said town of Campbell Fire Chief Nate Melby. “We started discussing the volume of water, locations and strategizing pump configurations throughout the town.”

Seven high-capacity pumps and hoses were enroute to the town of Campbell from a storage facility near Orwell Dam in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Jeff McCullick, St. Paul District emergency management specialist said the teamwork and communication are critical components of the Corps of Engineers support to the community.

“Upon arrival on scene, the crisis response team worked effortlessly over the weekend with local personnel to get the pumps and hoses ready to safely and efficiently operate,” McCullick said.

Melby added that pumps were up and running the very next morning after submitting the request to the Corps and the pumps provided an immediate impact.

With the sheer volume of flood waters, Corps staff and town officials designed a daisy chain-like system to pump and drain hundreds of gallons of water per minute to a water treatment plant in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and then return it back into the Mississippi River.

“The town exhausted all their resources,” McCullick said. “Without our help, the town would be inundated, houses and infrastructure would be lost.”

According to the National Weather Service, the Mississippi River, near the town of Campbell and La Crosse, Wisconsin, is cresting near 15.89 feet. This is the third highest flood within the community with the second highest flood in 2001, at 16.41 feet. The historic flood of record occurred April 22, 1965, with a flood elevation of 17.89 feet.

• Date Taken: 04.27.2023
• Date Posted: 04.27.2023 12:09
• Story ID: 443500
• Location: TOWN OF CAMPBELL, WI, US