November 12, 2009

A flood warning is in effect starting late Thursday night for the James River near Bremo Bluff.

Bremo Bluff is a small town along the usually quiet James River in Fluvanna County. But with several inches of rain falling over the past few days, the river is on the rise. Residents aren't too concerned. Bremo Bluff resident Jennifer Monges says, "Our basement may get a little wet, but we're not worried about it beyond that."

One to four inches of rain have fallen in the Upper James River basin over the past few days. That has caused the river to rise to over 14 feet as of 10 AM Thursday. In 2002 the river rose to about twenty feet creating a close call for many homes and businesses. "It has only been once when we were really concerned and that was in 2002 when... the flood waters came up to the end of the road." says Monges.

Historically, in 1972 the river rose to almost 45 feet causing major damage in Bremo Bluff including the post office, which is a couple hundred yards from the river. "Back in '69 and '72 were the big floods and it took out a lot of buildings," Monges says.

The National Weather Service predicts the James River to rise to 19 feet overnight and it could approach 22 feet by Friday afternoon. Monges says, "We will think about it a little bit if it gets to the 19 or 20 foot mark, but it's not a big concern."

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