NEAR ARLINGTON, S.D. (KELO) — The twin lakes near Arlington, South Dakota are out of their banks. KELOLAND’s Whitney Fowkes headed there to give you an update on the flood relief efforts.

South of Arlington on Highway 81, the lakes have flooded over. Water is covering the roadway, but they are allowing traffic through.

“I contacted the South Dakota Department of Transportation and it’s been going on for about a week, and they have message boards out on each end of the highway 81 where the water is covering the road,”  Brookings county deputy emergency manager, Richard Haugen, said.

The flooded highway is impacting businesses in Arlington.

“We seem to have a little less traffic from the south. I think people are avoiding that because of the inconvenience of not wanting to go through deep water,” Maynard’s Food Center, Dan Kline, said.

Not only is water over the road, but trash and debris area also washing up. 

“If there’s any excess that’s in the way of travel or the highway that would be removed so that would be up to the South Dakota Department of Transportation,” Haugen said.

But people who live in the area know the forecast and the water are out of their control.

“It’s just mother nature and the weather. It’s just been a tough year for all our people around here, our farmers, and people in town as well,” Kline said.

Haugen has this advice for those who are traveling on highway 81.

“Proceed with caution and drive through there carefully,” Richard Haugen said.

For a list of road closures, click here.