Rising water levels on rivers and lakes are causing restrictions and road closures across the state.

On the St. Croix River, no-wake rules are in effect just as summer boating season begins to heat up.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that this is the first time in six years they have issued those restrictions in early June.

The DNR said all the rain in May caused the river to rapidly rise to ‘action’ stage, which is below flood stage, but still requires no-wake rules to prevent erosion to the shoreline.

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts, the river is expected to rise at least another few inches before cresting Monday.

The no-wake rules are expected to be in place for at least another week.

In addition, the Minnesota River is flooding boat ramps, blocking roads and making bike paths disappear.

“Yeah, I saw the signs, it’s really disappointing. But yeah, crazy stuff, I’ve never seen it,” says Eliana Bly from Eagan. “Usually, there’s a bunch of rocks like you can go down quite a ways, but now there’s only a few you can see, and that’s all along the river.”

Further west, the bridge between Shakopee and Chanhassen gives a good view of how high the river is with partly submerged tree trunks.

“We are actually seeing these levels rise again and they are cresting higher than they did in early spring, which is pretty abnormal,” says Alexandra Schmitz, an assistant park manager at Fort Snelling State Park.

The DNR says all this water isn’t coming from our normal snow melt but instead from the heavy rains we’ve had lately.

“For the year to date, we have received more precip than average than previous years, so that’s why we’re seeing these river levels swell and come up,” Schmitz explains.

And it’s not just closures causing headaches.

Tree trunks and stumps on the water are causing hazards — especially for boaters. Some people may not be able to see other man-made objects under the surface because of high sediment in the river right now.

“Anything from a dock that’s not chained, down to boards, tires, or trash,” Schmitz says.  

Schmitz says it’s not a bad idea to try fishing from shore and, for everyone else, avoid moving water where it shouldn’t be.

“When we have moving water crossing a roadway or a trail, that’s going to cause an immediate closure,” she says.