Channel Cat Reopens As Mississippi River Levels Go Down

Thankfully, the Mississippi River is going down pretty quickly and back into its banks. That means we'll return to normal across the Quad Cities with roads reopening and other services resuming.

One of those services that has reopened is the Channel Cat Water Taxi. But not all docks are open as some debris still needs to be cleaned up.

Mississippi River Levels Going Down

Over the past 3 weeks, we've watched the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities metro get up to 20 feet which caused flooding in downtown Davenport and on River Drive in Moline. With the river now in the Minor Flood Stage and quickly going down, things are getting back to normal.

The National Weather Service of the Quad Cities' first preliminary crest report puts the Mississippi River cresting in the Quad Cities on July 9th, 2024, at 20.16 feet.

The flood record took place in 2019 when the Mississippi River crested at Lock & Dam 15 in Rock Island at 22.7 feet. If the 2024 flood is confirmed at 20.16 feet, it will be the 12th-highest recorded level the Mississippi River has risen to in the Quad Cities.

MetroLINK Announces Return of Channel Cat Ferryboat Service

22 days after announcing the suspension of the Channel Cat due to the river flooding, MetroLINK has announced that they have opened the service back up for use.

Officials announced that the Channel Cat will resume operations on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, servicing the following docks only:

• John Deere Commons
• Village of East Davenport
• Isle of Capri

Riverbend Commons in Moline will remain closed for final debris cleanup. Schedule information can be found here: https://www.metroqc.com/342/Channel-Cat-Schedule.

Please refer to the Channel Cat’s Facebook page for updates.