WELCH, Minn. - Weekend flooding caused road washouts that closed roughly four miles of County Road 7 in southern Goodhue County Monday.

Outside of Welch, crews worked to repair a half lane that washed away, with the worry more rain forecasted for the upcoming week could hamper their efforts.

New flooding also closed Highway 20 near Cannon Falls and Highway 50 near Miesville Monday morning.

The detours made the ups and downs of small business are even more turbulent for business owners in Welch who bank on the livelihood of the Cannon River.

Ross Nelson says last Friday's floodwaters will be one of his family's more memorable disasters. He has owned Welch Mill Canoe and Tubing for 40 years, and now the town's main attraction is closed with the season barely started.

Things aren't much better at his nearby home, where several feet of water still rises in his own basement.

"We went from probably the lowest water I have ever seen in April to this, you would have never guessed," said Nelson, who says he measured the speed of the river at 100,000 gallons a second. "A lot of young people that help me, my nieces and nephews they count on the job during the summer months before they go back to college, so it hurts a lot of people."

Across the street, Janet Gustafson is usually flooded with customers during the lunch hour at the Cannon River Inn. Monday,  water has been the only guest.

"Last night it came through the ceiling, dripping onto the pool tables," said Gustafson.

The water damage is a first in her 30 years in Welch. She fears the "Road Closed" signs outside her door bring a grim forecast for survival, with the roads that bring customers now closed.

"People won't be able to get down here," she worried.

At the intersection of County Road 41 and County road 7, crews say repairs could take at least week, if rain doesn't delay progress.
Nelson has resurfaced with success before, even with certainty washed away at the beginning of summer.

"We have family, digging out to help, we will make it through," he said.

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