MACON, Ga. — The Ocmulgee River is slowly going down after hitting one of its highest crests since the Flood Of '94.
Amerson River Park remains closed, but the city allowed 13WMAZ's Drone13 crew to check out conditions on Monday afternoon after the flooding.
By Monday afternoon, the water had finally dropped below the level of the Overlook Pavilion.
Video captured from Drone13 shows the swimming area is still well under water, with no sign of the stairway and the huge rocks where people usually jump and play.
The river left behind sand and clay on the trails, along with some large limbs on the walkways.
City spokesperson Chris Floore says once the river drops to safe level, crews can clean up the mess and re-open. Right now, it's too early to tell when that may be.
Overall, the park, which is made to withstand flooding, came through in good shape.
Amerson Park sits on the site of the old Macon Water Treatment plant, which was moved after flooding during the July of 1994 flood triggered by Tropical Storm Alberto. That flooding left the city without any drinking water for nearly 3 weeks.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, the 27.88 foot crest in this latest flood happened about 1:45 Sunday afternoon. It matched a level last seen on March 9th, 1998.
It's slightly above the 27.78 feet level recorded on March 28, 2023. If the most recent high-water mark is confirmed, it would tie for the sixth highest on record, and the highest recorded in Macon in the 2000's.
Here is the list of the top 15 crests of the Ocmulgee in Macon according to NOAA:
Historic Crests
1. 35.40 ft on 07-06-1994
2. 29.90 ft on 03-18-1990
3. 29.80 ft on 03-19-1990
4. 29.50 ft on 03-04-1971
5. 28.00 ft on 11-29-1948
6. 27.88 ft on 03-09-1998
7. 27.78 ft on 03-28-2023
8. 27.77 ft on 12-27-2015
9. 26.67 ft on 11-27-1992
10. 26.10 ft on 02-28-1929
11. 26.10 ft on 03-22-1942
12. 26.00 ft on 01-19-1925
13. 25.89 ft on 02-14-2024
14. 25.60 ft on 04-04-1975
15. 25.56 ft on 02-20-2020