Floodwater collects soil, runoff and whatever else it crosses, so it is handled as contaminated from the start. Porous materials it touched rarely come back.
Why high water matters here
The city has 12 lakes and enforces Slow-No-Wake limits at high water on Lotus Lake, Lake Lucy, Lake Minnewashta and Lake Susan, with the City Engineer deciding when they start and end. Four watershed organizations share the area. After torrential rain on June 2, 2014, Lake Minnetonka reached a record-high level in regional flooding across the western Twin Cities.
- Silt and mud worked into carpet and under cabinets
- Wet insulation and drywall below the water mark
- Contaminated furniture, bedding and stored goods
Mud-out and removal
Pumps lower the water first, then crews shovel and rinse the mud from floors and wall bases. Drywall and insulation are cut above the highest water mark, and everything porous that sat in the water is bagged and carried out. Contents are sorted on site into what can be washed and what has to go.
Cleaning and drying
Slab, studs and joists are washed and treated with an antimicrobial before any drying gear is placed. Remaining pooled water goes through water extraction, and a flood that came up through a drain is handled as sewage.