The city of Arnold has started distributing sand to residents and expects more requests for sandbags as the Meramec River is predicted to crest at 41.5 feet by Tuesday afternoon (June 4), according to the National Weather Service website.
Typically, no homes in the city are affected by floodwater until the river rises above 40 feet.
With the river expected to rise above that level, about 20-30 homes may be affected, with some of those in the Starling Estates subdivision off Starling Airport Road, some in the Pleasant Valley subdivision off Jeffco Boulevard and others scattered around the city, City Administrator Bryan Richison said.
“We expect to have houses touched by water or come close to being touched,” Richison said. “We are not planning on disconnecting any electrical connections. This could change based upon safety concerns, but it would be a house-by-house consideration, not any kind of widespread disconnection.”
Arnold officials were meeting at 2 p.m. today (May 29) to discuss the potential impact of floodwaters as rain is expected throughout the rest of the week, Richison said.
“With the continued rain in the forecast, we are looking to respond to the crest at 41.5 feet or higher,” he said. “We are going to look at the city’s maps and talk about what to do about staffing this weekend. We may need people to work over the weekend to help deliver sand.”
Richison said the city has 800 tons of sand to distribute. Those who need sand may contact the Public Works Department at 636-282-2386 or City Hall at 636-296-2100.
He said no more roads are expected to be closed because of flooding.
The roads in Arnold City Park, located off Jeffco Boulevard near the Meramec River, have been closed since May 2 because of flooding. The Arnold Golf Club, 1 Golfview Drive, also has seen flooding, and the majority of holes have been closed since the start of the month.
On Thursday (May 30), the city plans to open an Emergency Operations Center with two people staffing the phones.
If the Meramec River crests at 41.5 feet, it will be the sixth highest level since records have been kept.
The river reached 47.26 feet Dec. 31, 2015, and 45.62 feet on May 3, 2017. On Aug. 1, 1993, the river rose to 45.3 feet, and it was at 43.9 feet on Dec. 6, 1992. On April 14, 1994, the Meramec crested at 41.7 feet.