The Missouri River on Sunday set its second highest crest of the summer and is now dropping.
The crest was due to recent heavy rains in the Big and Little Sioux River basins, said Marty Grate of the Omaha Public Works Department.
According to the National Weather Service, the river at Omaha reached 36.11 feet at 12:30 p.m Sunday. That's just slightly below the highest level of the summer, 36.29 feet on July 2.
The river is projected to slowly decline toward 35 feet by late this week. Flood stage is 29 feet.
In spite of extensive protective measures taken, when the river rises above 35.5 feet at Omaha, problems begin to surface in east Omaha, Grate said.
The river reached that stage early Thursday, dipped briefly and went back up. By Friday afternoon, river water had popped a bolted down manhole cover, which allowed water to pool again in Lot D at CenturyLink Center Omaha, formerly the Qwest Center.
Additionally, the ground around Eppley Airfield got mushier.
Two Metropolitan Utilities District water mains broke near 16th and Ida and Read Streets on Friday, because the soil had become unstable, said spokeswoman Tracey Christensen. They were repaired, she said.
"Our water remains clean and safe," she said.
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