Ouachita River Still Rising

Monday the Ouachita River rose to over 42 feet.

That’s two feet above flood stage.

And as the water inches closer and closer to area banks and levees, officials are keeping close watch.

Wayne Hummel watches the Ouachita River take over his yard in Monroe.

"Well we come out and check the levels every morning and see how high its risen since the day before, just ready for it to quit rising," said Hummel.

Hummel lives on River Landing and he says over half of his 10 acres of land is already under water.

"We had a couple horses that we had to move to higher ground. I’m sure all the pasture grass will be gone by then, it's a mess," said Hummel.

The Ouachita now is just over 42 feet.

But the Tensas Levee District says the river is rising about two and a half inches a day. 

And more rain is coming this week.

Butch Beckham with the Ouachita Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness is preparing for the worst.

"That could cause a problem if it hits in the Ouachita basin in the Ouachita River area and its tributaries and filling it up," said Beckham.

The Tensas Levee Basin District says Bayous Bartholomew and Lafourche are falling.

That gives more space for the Ouachita to fall as well.

Still Beckham hopes people take precaution by cleaning out ditches now.

"If it is five to six inches of rain, that's going to be a lot of rain to come down and it might start backing up on them. Just try to get the water out, move the water out,” said Beckham.

But what does 42 feet on the Ouachita really mean?

At 45 feet, the levee district will raise the flood sea wall in downtown Monroe.

At 48 feet, the river could pose problems on the Endom and Louisville bridges.

At 53 feet, the river could really start testing the levee's ability to keep water out.

And at 56 feet water would top the levees.

There’s no prediction what could happen as the rain rolls in, but for Hummel he just hopes for drier times.

"We're ready for the water we got now. But we couldn't use a couple more feet for sure. That would be an additional problem," said Hummel.

Monday night the National Weather Service predicts the Ouachita River will crest at 43 feet by Sunday.

Still the Tensas Levee District says there's really no way of knowing exactly where the river may end up.