The Santa Fe River has already risen above its flood stage upstream of High Springs and waters will continue to rise through Thursday night.
At the US 441 bridge just north of downtown High Springs, the river sits at 35.23 feet, equal to the flood stage, and could rise another nine feet before cresting on late Thursday or early Friday morning.
Kevin Mangan, public information officer for High Springs, said the predictions have dropped two feet in the last 24 hours.
“The good news is, that while we are still expecting moderate flooding for most of the gages along the Santa Fe River, at US 441 and US 27 the initial estimates, even from just 24 hours ago, are down a little bit,” Mangan said.
A gage just upstream of High Springs, near I-75 in O’Leno State Park, shows the river is 8.1 feet past the flood stage with another two feet before cresting.
Mangan said the river will slowly recede, staying above the flood state for the next week at least.
He said residents with interests along the Santa Fe River need to stay informed on river levels and prepare for any evacuations that might come. No evacuations or planned evacuations are currently in place.
Citizens can receive text alerts about flood stages, evacuations and road closures from HS Alerts, a free service of High Springs. The service is active all year and allows residents to customize the alerts they receive, from flooding, road closures and water boil notices to missing persons advisories.
You can sign up for the alerts here.
A small section of US 27 was closed in High Springs on Monday because of flooding before reopening. High Springs has closed the Santa Fe Canoe Outpost because of the high waters, and Poe Springs Park is also closed. O’Leno State Park and River Rise Preserve State Park are also closed.
Mangan said the city is continuing to monitor the Santa Fe River levels to keep citizens informed, including daily visual inspections of the river. He said the Alachua County drone team took footage of the river that officials will look over on Wednesday.
“Be aware of your surroundings and do what you need to do to keep yourself and your family safe,” Mangan said. “And if there’s anything that the city can do, we’re prepared to do it.”
