Several roads in Cedar Hill, House Springs and the Jefferson County portion of Eureka were closed over the weekend due to flooding.
Eureka Fire Chief Scott Barthelmass said off-duty personnel were called in March 6 to staff Station 3, 3570 White Oak School Road, which was shut down earlier this year.
He said staffing Station 3 over the weekend allowed the district to reach homes and properties quickly on the other side of a road closure on Hwy. W. He said the highway was closed beginning about 9 a.m. March 7 and reopened to traffic on March 8 in the early afternoon.
“The Big River did flood,” Barthelmass said. “It closed Twin Rivers Road in the area of Cardinal Lane, and it closed Hwy. W in the Hoene Springs area. It was expected to close Friday night, but didn’t close until Saturday morning.
“The water rose, covered the roadway and then came back down. (The Missouri Department of Transportation) had to clean the debris off the roadway. The water was actually down prior to probably 9 a.m., and then it took until about 1 p.m. or so to clear the debris off the roadway.”
The Big River near Byrnesville reached a peak of 22.22 feet in the moderate flood stage on Saturday morning, March 7.
Barthelmass said the Meramec River also flooded, leading to a closure on Hunters Ford Road near the Allenton boat ramp.
The Meramec River near Eureka reached a peak of 23.59 feet in the minor flood stage on Sunday at noon, March 8.
Barthelmass said that often when the Meramec and Big rivers rise above flood stage, Station 3 sits on an island, making it difficult for emergency personnel to reach certain areas of the district.
“We made the promise that when we shuttered Station 3 on Jan. 1, that if there was flooding where that area became cut off from Eureka, we would re-man that station,” he said. “We manned that station starting Friday night through Sunday, where we had three firefighter/paramedics with equipment at that station.”
The fire district announced last fall that Station 3 would be closing in 2026 due to the district’s current financial situation. The decision was made after the Proposition F tax increase measure failed to pass in both the April and August elections.
While the tax increase did not pass, Barthelmass said in an Oct. 28 statement that the district’s costly equipment, building and personnel needs remain.
Barthelmass said six of the station’s firefighter/paramedics were relocated to Station 1 and 2 following the closure, and three firefighter/paramedic positions will be eliminated through attrition, meaning the district will not hire for those positions once the firefighters retire.
Other flood areas
Flooding from the Big River shut down Hwy. BB, South Byrnesville Road, Cedar Hill Road between Hwy. BB and Hwy. B, Dutch Creek Road and Little Dutch Creek Road, the Cedar Hill Fire Protection District reported.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported that on early Saturday morning, water was over the roadway on Hwy. BB and Homestead Acres Road in Cedar Hill; a black passenger car was in the water at the boat ramp at Brown’s Ford Park in Dittmer; South Byrnesville Road from Byrnesville Road to Irish Lane in House Springs was flooded; Cedar Hill Road from Burgess Ford Road to the Big River was flooded; Engledow Road to Upper Blackwell Road in rural De Soto was flooded; and Klondike Road and Big Bend Road in Hillsboro was flooded.
High Ridge Fire Chief John Barton said there were a few street closures in his district due to flooding, but they did not affect his crew’s emergency responses. He said there were closures on Burgan Grove Road and Cottage Grove Road in House Springs and Twin River Road in the Jefferson County portion of Eureka.
The Jefferson County Department of Parks and Recreation announced on March 6 that four parks were closed due to flooding: Brown’s Ford Park in Dittmer, Morse Mill Park, Cedar Hill Park and Rockford Park in House Springs.
More rain expected
Barthelmass said on March 9, he is closely monitoring river levels over the next several days to determine if Station 3 must again be staffed for road closures.
“Today, the river is going up a little bit,” he said. “If we get the 2 inches of rain they’re predicting tomorrow (March 10), there’s a chance that it would flood again. We would, again, honor our promise and re-man that engine house during that time for the residents who are cut off.”
Barthelmass said it usually takes two or three days for the river levels to rise after a heavy rain.
“We check those levels through the National Weather Service about four or five times a day,” he said. “If we think it’s coming, we’ll move that equipment and personnel down there, then we’ll communicate with people in that area so they know what’s going on.”