The Rock River through Jefferson is four feet higher than normal after last week's storms. While the river is not expected to rise any higher, it will take a while to fully recede.
The National Water Prediction Service reported the Rock River in Jefferson at 11.6 feet high on Tuesday, which qualifies as the moderate flood stage.
The river has remained in minor or moderate flood stage through Jefferson since last Thursday and it is not predicted to dramatically recede until at least this weekend.
County emergency manager Tracy Hameau said this is not the first time people in Jefferson have experienced flooding along the Rock River or its tributary, the Crawfish River.
"They've pre-planned and moved stuff off of the basement floors," Hameau said. "They've taken those precautions and sandbagged ahead of time."
Hameau said Jefferson did not experience much damage from the high water, but said her home in Rock County near Janesville flooded after Friday night's storm.
"My whole lower level that's finished took on water, and the sump pumps failed," Hameau said. "Everyone in that whole Rock County area where the storms came in has damage."
Watch: People in Jefferson watch as Rock River remains at moderate flood stage through the city
Since the Rock River is no longer dramatically rising in Jefferson, groups of anglers have come to catch fish in the higher-than-usual water. That includes James Taylor, who drove to Jefferson from Illinois with his brother.
"We had two other brothers who passed away last year, so we need to make the best out of the time we have," Taylor said. "We came out here for the walleye and the stripers. We knew there was going to be a lot of water, but we didn't know there was going to be this much water."
The river is currently predicted to remain in the flood stages through at least Tuesday.
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