page_title: 2013 Grand Rapids flood
section_title: Impact
hierarchical_section_title: 2013 Grand Rapids flood / Impact
caption_attribution_description: English: Grand Rapids Fish Ladder during the 2013 flood.
context_page_description: The 2013 Grand Rapids flood lasted from April 12 to 25, 2013, affecting multiple areas in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. Sudden heavy rainfall, saturation of the ground from rainwater and the flow of tributaries caused the Grand River to rise dramatically, with the river cresting at 21.85 feet in Grand Rapids on April 21, 2013. The flooding caused thousands of residents in the area to evacuate their homes.
context_section_description: On April 21, Mayor of Grand Rapids, George Heartwell, declared a state of emergency. Evacuations of homes were reported along with some reports about boat rescues from houses in the area. In Kent County, about 700 people were evacuated while 1,000 people alone were evacuated from the Plaza Towers in downtown Grand Rapids. Some buildings in Grand Rapids near the riverfront had the Grand River's waterline go over their windows with some individuals able to see fish and ducks swim by through the windows.
  Flood walls and bridges in Grand Rapids caused some increased flooding in cities up and downstream from the Grand River since they impeded the flow of the river, causing water to stand and rise. Wastewater treatment plants in Grand Rapids, Grandville and Wyoming had partially treated wastewater overflow from their facilities. The Grand Rapids wastewater plant had about 429 million US gallons (1.62×10⁹ l) of the partially treated water spill into the Grand River.
caption: Grand Rapids fish ladder during the 2013 flood.
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