Cedar Rapids temporarily closing boat ramps as river rises

CEDAR RAPIDS — With the Cedar River expected to reach flood stage by Thursday evening, Cedar Rapids city officials plan to temporarily close boat ramps and access points to the river.

“Rising waters on the Cedar River make recreational use of the river dangerous for boaters, canoe/kayakers, and tubers,” the city said in a statement. “It also creates an unnecessary safety risk for emergency crews called for rescue operations.”

The city said that starting at 8 p.m. Thursday, it would close the Mohawk Park boat ramp, the Ellis boat ramp, the Valor Way boat ramp and the Prairie Park boat ramp, as well as all walk-in points on the river. It said the locations would be reopened tentatively at 8 a.m. Sunday.

“We’re communicating this closure as part of our effort to keep boaters and recreational users of the river out of the fast current and away from potentially submerged debris, Fire Chief Greg Smith said in a statement. ”The Fire Department is prepared to assist in nearly any emergency, but this is a critical mitigation step for the City to take when the river’s rising like this.“

The National Weather Service said that at noon Thursday, the Cedar River at Cedar Rapids was measured at 10.6 feet. The river was expected to reach the flood stage of 12 feet by Thursday evening and then crest at 14.2 feet early Saturday morning. It will then fall below flood stage by Sunday morning, the weather service said.

The city said it would update road and facility closures at cedar-rapids.org and on its social media sites. Officials said they don’t expect homes or businesses to be impacted by these minor floodwaters.