The Water Column - Power In June 2024, heavy rains swelled the Blue Earth River until it breached the Rapidan Dam south of Mankato MN. I watched the drone footage posted on Facebook with fascination. I had spent many hours as a young boy fishing below that dam. I took my son to those boyhood haunts and we bow fished at the base. We later had a burger and slice of pie at the Dam Store (best dam store by a dam site). I caught a five pound channel catfish the day before my wedding below that dam that was now in peril. Over the next few days, the raging waters cut away at the bank, eroding the edge and carving a new riverbed. The serpentine change in direction took out The Dam Store owner’s home and eventually the store itself. Heavy rains in June of this year have flooded farmland and lakeside cabins in Kandiyohi County. Storms on June 13, and another round of rain two weeks later delivered triple the average rainfall for the month. Damage estimates have totaled...