Eau Claire - Not So Clear Water

Geese taking a swim in the tennis courts

 

         Knock knock, it's water damage

    Eau Claire means clear water in French, but every year when the Eau Claire and the Chippewa River flood during the annual snow melt, the idea that this water stays clear gets harder and harder to believe. In 2023 the flooding reached a ten year record of 775.5 feet. 

    Unfortunately, floods are part of the Eau Claire culture, with one particular flood wiping away all the bridges, as well as roads and homes. To combat this, the majority of the land close to the river has been bought and turned into parks and communal outdoor space. 

    My personal experiences with these floods has been nothing remarkable. If the park is flooded you go to a different park, or drive down a different street. There aren't many houses in the flood plains anymore. Sometimes you can go wade in the shallowest flood water on the natural hills - which is fun, but also super not recommended by any public safety official. Eau Claire is actually a very pretty city when it's flooded, the majority of the time, architecture looks like it's just leading you down into the water. As a kid I had several fantasies about humans who could walk down those paths and live under the surface of the river, that's how commonplace this all was to me. Every year, on the drive to school, my family would watch one of the river islands sank. There were trees on that island, and by the middle of spring, you couldn't see them. But they were always back come fall.

Hiking Trail leading into the river

    The worst of the damage from the flooding happened in the Water St. (that feels like foreshadowing to me) area, where the majority of the historic homes are located. Because of how regular and repetitious these floods were, the homes acquired too much water damage to preserve, so the city had to remove them, being hazardous to live in, and all. 

     By now you've seen quite a bit of what Eau Claire looks like when it's flooded, but that's not all it is, so here's a picture of what it usually looks like, so you can understand why so many people stay.

 

The Eau Claire & Chippewa river's confluence in Downtown Eau Claire

Bibliography - 

         Cremeens, photos Grace. “[PHOTOS] Chippewa River Reaches 10-Year High in Eau Claire.” Volumeone.org, 17 Apr. 2023, volumeone.org/photos/sets/2023/04/17/316563-photos. Accessed 17 Sept. 2025.

Shubic, Mike. “From Kayaks to Conferences: A Memorable Sojourn in Eau Claire.” Mike’s Road Trip, 24 July 2023, mikesroadtrip.com/memorable-sojourn-in-eau-claire-wisconsin/. Accessed 17 Sept. 2025.

Wisconsin Emergency Management. “Local Plan Status | Wisconsin Emergency Management.” Wi.gov, 2023, wem.wi.gov/local-plan-status/. Accessed 17 Sept. 2025.

Wisconsin Historical Society. “Floods in Wisconsin.” Wisconsin Historical Society, 3 Aug. 2012, www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2507. Accessed 17 Sept. 2025.