HENDERSON — This time, it’s looking like Henderson might have dodged the Minnesota River floodwaters.
“The river crest projections have decreased steadily,” Mayor Keith Swenson said in an email late Wednesday night. “I would expect another downward revision tomorrow (Thursday). It looks like we may dodge a wrench on this one.”
Henderson’s nearly annual flood watch has a tendency to bring out Swenson’s wry sense of humor, as the longtime mayor uses a “Dodgeball” movie reference. But Swenson’s serious side also keeps him up late, monitoring river reports.
Fourteen months ago, record floodwaters closed off Henderson, already difficult to reach at the time due to two major road construction projects. The community’s more hopeful this summer, as the Minnesota River continues to flow under the Highway 19 bridge.
But eyes remain fixed on the river, which isn’t expected to crest until early next week at 733 feet, still considered at “minor flood stage” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. With no major rain expected until Friday, Aug. 29, Swenson and other Henderson residents believe his city will weather this one.
Early Thursday morning the river level edged up to 731. Officials from the Minnesota Department of Transportation are also keeping tabs on the river, which at times begins flowing across Highway 19 east of Henderson, possibly closing off the major roadway into town.
According to NOAA’s “flood impacts,” at 732.5 feet, “water begins encroaching on Hwy. 19.” And at 733.7 feet, “the floodwall gates will be closed when Henderson reaches 733.7 and the river is still rising at Mankato.”
Henderson appears safe on both accounts: The current river crest is at 733 and might recede, and the Minnesota will not still be rising at Mankato. River levels remain high in neighboring cities such as Le Sueur and St. Peter, but the valley was fortunate to sidestep the 12-inch rains that have caused flooding in Waseca, Owatonna and other southern Minnesota communities.
That’s good news for businesses in downtown Henderson, who’ve battled at least minor flooding in nine of the past 10 years, according to NOAA figures. While the Minnesota River hit its record crest in 2024, the community’s worst flooding occurred in April 1965 and April 1969, prior to construction of the earthen berm.
But the river is still rising through the valley. At Mill Pond Park in St. Peter, a lone fisherman Wednesday afternoon sat near a picnic table, just a couple of feet away from the swollen river. On Thursday morning, the picnic table was in danger of sliding into the river before a city worker arrived to pull it away from the rising water.
Henderson residents and city officials have a history of floodwater concerns. On June 25, 2024,, the Minnesota River hit a record 740.79 feet, coming within inches of topping the flood barriers on the city’s eastern edge. Swenson said then that Henderson’s earthen berm was “doing what it’s designed to do.” Still, he wondered why Henderson hit record Minnesota River flood levels in 2024 but no other upstream location did.
So, Henderson officials have called in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to better analyze the river’s record 2024 flood level. That work and research are ongoing. Swenson speculates the widening and slowing of the river coming into Henderson might have brought more sediment to the Minnesota’s floor, increasing any risk of flooding.
The community is looking forward to its northern entrance into Henderson to officially open, as Sibley County Road 6 is expected to be completed in early fall. The roadway, also known as the Minnesota River Scenic Byway, is currently paved and open only to local traffic. But it’s a critical route from the southwest metropolitan area for the community celebrations, such as the Tuesday night Classic Car Roll-in.
Jeff Steinborn, who owns Evolution Shirts in downtown Henderson, also serves as the Henderson Area Chamber’s communications director and is chief organizer of the event. While early rains and some hot Tuesday nights limited early summer attendance, the roll-ins have been going well. He’s hopeful the river doesn’t once again flow across Highway 19.
With three of the community’s four major roadways into Henderson too often closed off, only travelers from Highway 19 west have access to the town’s events. Those road closures and construction projects have prompted a 33% reduction in out-of-town visitors over the past three years, according to a University of Minnesota Extension report.
Highway 93, the community’s typical entrance from the south off Highway 169, won’t be open until late 2026. The roadway is being raised up to 8 feet with bridge replacements to ease flooding from the Rush River on Henderson’s western bluffs. The complexity of that 3.6-mile stretch is estimated at nearly $9 million per mile, MnDOT said.
But for now, Highway 19 is expected to remain open. And that’s good news for Nathan Hanson. His downtown Henderson barber shop stays busy while the highway remains open. When closed, Hanson’s travel from his home in Belle Plaine gets detoured miles to the west.
“We’re all hoping the river doesn’t close the highway again,” he said.