News : Ice jam causes flooding concerns north of Vinton

An ice jam caused some minor flooding in Vinton Monday evening.

Ice chunk crunch together as they flow along the Cedar River.

Ice and water cross 58th Street north of Vinton after an ice jam raised the river level Monday.

North of Vinton, the Cedar River was covered bank to bank with ice chunks Monday.

For the residents of the low-lying areas along the Cedar River, spring flooding is common occurence. They have elevated their homes to protect them from the rising water.

But on Monday, the flooding came early; an ice jam caused the river level to rise, filling many yards and driveways with water. Public safety officials advised residents to evacuate; most moved their vehicles away from the water. Many sat in those vehicles at the intersection of 58th Street and 22nd Avenue Trail Monday evening, watching as the water rose and listening to the sound of ice crunching. Pieces of ice along with the water flowed over part of 58th Street.

Benton County Emergency Management Director Scott Hansen said that the flooding was so minor that officials did not even call him. He said that in Vinton, the river was at 11.5 feet Monday. He guessed that the ice jam had caused the level to rise a foot or more north of Vinton. As of sunset, the ice jam was still north of town; water was flowing normally under the Highway 150 bridge.