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Flooding
MPR News Staff

Video: House near Rapidan Dam falls into Blue Earth River

Rapidan Dam is seen
The house perched precariously on the edge of the Blue Earth River on Monday. It fell in Tuesday night. Torrential rain caused the Rapidan Dam outside of Mankato to fail, sending the flow of the river towards the house and washing away sediment underneath.
Jackson Forderer for MPR News

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The house perched over the eroding Blue Earth River near the Rapidan Dam fell into the rain-swollen river Tuesday night.

Video by Brycen Keech

After torrential rainfall over the weekend, debris piled up against the dam near Mankato, causing the river to cut around it on the west side. Blue Earth County Sheriff Jeff Wersal described the dam as being in “imminent failure condition.” 

The rushing waters washed away part of the riverbank on Monday and caused the house to teeter on the brink before it fell in after 9 p.m. Tuesday night.

There were no reports of injuries when the home collapsed into the water. County officials say they're monitoring the river for any impacts downstream.

The dam itself remains intact, although Blue Earth County says repeated flooding is taking a toll on the structure.

Elsewhere in southern Minnesota, many highways remain closed due to flooding, including U.S. Highway 169 north and south of St. Peter, as well as Minnesota Highway 60 between Windom and Worthington.

Wednesday is expected to be a dry day across Minnesota, but more rain and possible storms are expected to develop Thursday night into Friday.