BELLVILLE — The opaque, muddy brown waters of the Clear Fork river were churning more quickly than normal Thursday morning, rushing past Bellville’s iconic blue bridge with a fury.
Water began to pool at the American Legion Park. Schools announced plans to close early.
Village administrator Larry Weirich said village road crews are standing by, ready to put up road closing signs if necessary.
“It certainly looks like we’re going to get a bunch of rain,” Weirich said. “I hope (it doesn’t flood), but you hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
A flood watch remains in effect through late Thursday night due to heavy rain and snowmelt in an area that includes Richland, Ashland, Knox and Crawford counties.
Warm temperatures will continue Thursday causing most of the remaining snowpack to melt. In addition, a strong storm system will bring 1 to 2 inches of rainfall to the region through tonight.
Supt. Janice Wyckoff of Clear Fork Valley Local Schools announced Thursday just before 11 a.m. that students would be dismissed at 1 p.m. Clear Fork Christian Preschool cancelled afternoon classes shortly thereafter.
Wyckoff confirmed the early closure was due to potential flooding.
“We’ve got water coming across roads that we don’t see typically see water coming over,” she said.
Wyckoff said that a group of staff and community members who help evaluate road conditions had been out since about 5 a.m.
“On a snow day, we start about 4 o’clock in the morning and we have a group of people who splinter off in various directions,” she said. “Then we have conference calls to talk about what they’re seeing.”
Today, the crew drove around the district to look for standing water, moving water and ice dams. Their reports led Wyckoff to call an early dismissal.
She stated that in her eight years with the district, she can’t recall another instance where students have been sent home early due to potential flooding.
Area residents can check the most recent streamflow conditions for the Clear Fork Mohican River by visiting the United States Geological Survey website. Data is taken every 15 minutes from a water gauge located under the blue bridge in Bellville.
As of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, the most recent reading read 8.66 feet.
Weirich said that the river typically floods onto Fry Road at about nine feet, Main Street in Bellville at 12 feet and Hines Avenue by the ball fields at 13 feet.
The Bellville Police Department asked residents to take caution and not drive through roads covered in water via its Facebook page.
“As rains continue today there will most likely be some flooding and definitely pooling of water on the roadways which will cause you to hydroplane,” a Thursday morning post read. “Please use caution and don’t drive through flooded roadways!”
