Just 24 hours earlier, the river crested at 17.12 feet in Fort Dodge and 17 feet in Humboldt. Lehigh experienced the crest in the early morning hours on Friday, though a measurement was not available.

“The river crested in Lehigh early this morning,” said Webster County Supervisor Niki Conrad. “The sandbags and mitigation efforts are working. We continue to ask residents to stay out of flood waters and the river. We expect the waters to begin to recede in the coming days.”

Due to historic flood levels, residents are asked to keep sandbags and berms in place through the weekend due to forecasted rain. In Humboldt, the floodwaters are expected to remain at the major flood stage of 14 feet until at least Wednesday,. The National Weather Service also anticipates rainfall for next week which may have an effect on river levels.

“With the potential for rain, it’s best to leave sandbags up as a precautionary measure,” Conrad said.

Humboldt County did announce Friday that unwanted sandbags not being used could be brought to the Secondary Roads office.

Multiple roads throughout Humboldt and Webster Counties remain closed due to flood waters, though as waters recede, roads and bridges will be inspected before being opened. The city of Fort Dodge did reopen North First Street between AML Riverside and Central Avenue late Friday morning.

“Please continue to respect the road closures and barricades,” said Conrad. “In many areas, there is water over the road and the road remains impassable.”

Residents in Humboldt can resume normal water usage. Citizens were previously asked to conserve water so that the main lift station and sanitary sewer wouldn’t be stressed with floodwaters.

“Thank you for your efforts in mitigating water use,” said Kyle Bissell, Humboldt County emergency management coordinator. “It made a significant difference in flow rates and helped to prevent a system-wide sewer backup.”

Recovery and cleanup efforts will begin as waters recede. Bissell said a plan for cleanup is being finalized, but until then residents can place debris or materials impacted by flood waters on their curbs.