So. Much.Water.

We live in a community nestled right along the Mississippi River, about a mile below Lock and Dam 7 at Dresbach MN. Our location gives us an up front and center seat to the effects of climate change.

In MN, we are experiencing our wettest year on record. The swollen Mississippi reflects that moisture. Even before last spring's snow melt the river was running unusually high and very fast. The barge shipping season was mightily delayed.

After the predicted flood stage happened in late spring and early summer the river has stayed high.  Trees on wetland near the shore and on islands and land spits have had their roots and lower trunks submerged in water for almost all of the past seven months.

The dam's gates have spent more time open than closed. The flooding has deposited alot of sand that the Army Corps of Engineers don't have enough funding to adequately dredge to keep the 9ft channel free.

We often walk down to the lock and dam to see what is happening. As we do, we reflect on all the rest of Mississippi River communities south of us who have also experienced flooding, breached levees, massive erosion and structural losses. What we are experiencing is nothing compared to them.

This is what climate change looks like at our house.