Photos Included: Grafton Appears Ready to Recover as River Levels Begin to Diminish

GRAFTON - Grafton is recognized as a close-knit community where people bind together during difficult times. The floods this season have made it extremely tough for business owners and the ones who have stayed open have done their best in the conditions.

The Mississippi River crested at Grafton at 35.17 feet on Saturday, June 8. The record level was 38.2 feet in 1993. At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the river level stands at 34.1 feet. The projections show a dramatic downturn in river levels. On June 24, the levels are projected to be at 23 feet, which is slightly under moderate flooding, so the hope is business will get back to normal.

Loading Dock owner Peter Allen said the hope for his business is to be open by July 4.

Allen said there will be a lot of cleanup involved because of high waters.

Grafton Mayor Rick Eberlin praised the work of the public works team and volunteers on the flood wall that has pushed the water back from several places. He said Grafton is a "resilient community" and will recover from the flood. Eberlin and Allen both said they hope people will come to the community as the recovery begins and support the local businesses.

Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.

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