The Salem Water Treatment Plant has recorded 4.92 inches of rain from the heavy thunderstorm activity on Monday. There was 2.73 inches recorded at the Centralia Water Treatment Plant. At one point Monday afternoon the Salem Reservoir rose to 11 inches over the spillway, resulting in the city issuing a request to those in the Starlight Mobile Home Park to voluntarily leave the park. However, conditions improved after the rain moved off to the east, with the lake just 4.8 inches over the spillway at 6 Tuesday morning.
Green Street Road has been reopened from Brick Hill Road and Brewery Hill Road after water levels at the Raccoon Creek bridge began to come down as one of the two open gates to Raccoon Lake was closed overnight. Centralia Water Plant officials say the gate that had been open 10 feet was closed, while a second gate remains open six feet as water levels are still rising slighting in Raccoon Lake. Flooding remains on Brick Hill Road and in the bottoms below the lake.
Meanwhile, Salem Public Works Director Travis Sanders says South College Avenue at Kell Street did not receive as much damage as originally thought from high waters as a result of the Monday rain. South College has now been opened to through traffic. Drivers are encouraged to proceed with caution.
Salem Township Road Commissioner Joe Telford reports all of the township roads that cross the Crooked Creek Bottoms, including Robin, South College Extension, Hotze, Hoots Chapel and Westline Road are underwater Tuesday morning and impassable.
Marion County Sheriff Kevin Cripps reports the roads in the Skillet Creek Bottoms that normally flood are way out of their banks on Tuesday morning.
