UPDATE: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 -- 8:45pm

Public Works Director Dave Tracey tells NBC 15 the highway was shut down Wednesday evening after one lane was reopened earlier in the day.

Tracey says the road, which is the village's Main Street, was opened for local traffic only. However, the traffic volume became too great and the nearby washout posed a safety hazard.

No word on when the highway may reopen.

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UPDATED Sunday, June 15 --- 5:00 pm

Pardeeville's high school principal announced on Sunday that summer school is cancelled on Monday and Tuesday. He said to listen further for an update about school on Wednesday.

Sunday, 11:15 am

PARDEEVILLE, Wis. (AP) _ State officials say the flooding situation at the Pardeeville dam has stabilized.

Columbia County emergency authorities said Saturday evening the water level in Park Lake has begun receding, and the chance of dam failure has diminished.

But an order for mandatory evacuation remains in effect.

Earlier in the day, Wisconsin Emergency Management said the dam was partially breaching, and authorities evacuated all affected homes.

Emergency Management officials say they're not sure how many homes were threatened or how many people were evacuated.

Authorities had said earlier the dam itself was holding but water was spilling out.

A county official pegs preliminary damage estimates at more than $21 million.

AP

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UPDATE: Saturday, June 14 -- 8:45pm

State officials say the flooding situation at the Pardeeville dam has stabilized.

Columbia County emergency authorities said Saturday evening the water level in Park Lake has begun receding, and the chance of dam failure has diminished.

Earlier in the day, Wisconsin Emergency Management said the dam was partially breaching, and authorities evacuated all affected homes.

Emergency Management officials say they're not sure how many homes were threatened or how many people were evacuated.

Authorities had said earlier the dam itself was holding but water was spilling out.

A county official pegs preliminary damage estimates at more than $21 million.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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UPDATED Saturday, June 14 --- 3:00pm
Reporter: Chris Papst

The rain has stopped for the time being but the water is still causing big problems in Columbia County.

In Pardeeville Saturday a 400 acre lake overflowed its banks and breached a road jeopardizing homes downstream.

Said Pat Beghin with the Columbia County Emergency Management, "Everyday just seems to be another round of storms or flooding we've been dealing with. It has pretty much been 16 hours days from Saturday on."

And this Saturday will be no different. At about seven in the morning flood waters pouring out of Park Lake in Pardeeville breached Highway 22 causing emergency management to alert residents along the Fox River of a possible evacuation.

"Our worry is once it breaches to the lake then we will have what is called blowout. Then the erosion takes place very rapidly," said a concerned Pardeeville President Barry Pufahl.

Last Sunday after two days of heavy rain emergency management in Pardeeville closed down Highway 22 and built an artificial river across it to help drain Park Lake. By mid-week water levels were back to normal. But after Thursday's downpours the lake began to again pour over Highway 22. The main Pardeeville Dam released water at full force, but could not keep up. Electricity, sewage, and water utilities in the area were turned off as crews fought the raging water.

This area is the lowest part of the lake. It was built for a hydro-electric dam that the town uses for energy.

Added Pufahl, "This was a nice low spot to get the water flowing. Unfortunately it has created a breach here today. First time this breach has happened in probably 80 years."

Beghin said that a Presidential disaster declaration is all but certain at this point.

He said now it is just a matter of allocating resources to the hardest hit areas in Columbia County which include, Columbus, Portage, Fall River, and now Pardeeville.

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UPDATED Saturday, June 14 --- 12:45pm

A warning to residents in Pardeeville in Columbia County. Residents in low areas downstream from Park Lake in Pardeeville have been warned to evacuate. This is a voluntary evacuation. Water from Park Lake is topping over Highway 22 through Pardeeville. Half of the road has already been washed away. And Emergency Management Officials fear the rest of the road could be wiped-out. If this happens, Park Lake would drain into Spring Lake, and then into Fox River. At this moment, the dam in Pardeeville is holding-up. Residents can go to the shelter at St. Mary's School in Portage, as well as St. John’s Lutheran School and the River of Life Church. Stay with NBC15 and NBC15.com for continuing coverage.

From the Associated Press:
PARDEEVILLE, Wis. (AP) -- State officials say the Pardeeville dam is partially breaching.

Columbia County authorities are evacuating all affected homes.

Wisconsin Emergency Management spokesman Tim Le Monds says the situation is serious.

It's not clear yet how many people are being evacuated or how many homes are threatened.

Columbia County Deputy director of emergency management Kathy Johnson says the dam itself is holding but water is getting out and has eroded half of state highway 22. That's the main street in town and she says it's being eroded to the center line.

She says all gas, electric, sewer and water utilities have been shut off to home snorth of the dam. And people are being told downstream and in other low lying areas to watch out.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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POSTED: Monday, June 9, 2008 -- 8:45pm

Water is flowing across Pardeeville's main street, but that's actually a good thing.

"At this point, it's pretty dramatic," says Pardeeville resident, Dave Davidson.

Sandbags are usually used to keep water out, but, in this case, they're meant to keep the water in.

"We started sandbagging today (Monday) around 11:30," says Davidson. "I think we had seven full dump trucks deliver sand."

This man-made canal cuts main street Pardeeville, Highway 22, in half.

It's allowing high water from Park Lake, on one side of main street, to drain into Silver Lake, on the other side.

The sandbags serve as artificial banks, funneling the unwanted water away from downtown businesses.

"Hopefully this is the extent of what we go through," adds Davidson.

The flooding is part of a one-two punch. The community is still recovering from Saturday's tornado.

"I've lived in Wisconsin for 23 or 24-years and I've never seen anything like this," Davidson says.

Saturday's twister left a path of destruction, uprooting trees and damaging homes.

No one was seriously hurt, but the storm interrupted graduation at Pardeeville High School.

"All the sudden it starts raining and there's a tornado warning," says Pardeeville H.S. salutatorian, Nicholas Paiser.

With some minor alterations, the seniors got their diplomas. Now, this community hopes its flood plan goes just as well.

"(A) pretty slick operation today," says Davidson.

There is a marked detour to get people from one side of Pardeeville to the other.