The water level gauge at the South Colton Dam along the Raquette River has begun to climb again with the weekend rains, but it is still well below flood stage.

The National Weather Service is predicting more rain in the St. Lawrence Valley through Wednesday at least, and continues to renew its flood advisories and watches along the Raquette in St. Lawrence County and on other streams that could pose a flood threat.

The gauge at South Colton stood at about 8.5 feet at mid-day Monday, which is still a foot and a half below a flood-stage reading of 10 feet. The level fell below the 10-foot mark on May 8. It reached a recent low of about 8.25 feet on last Friday, as the renewed rainfall began.

Brookfield Renewable Power, which operates dams and hydroelectric generators along the Raquette, has struggled to keep water levels manageable along the course of the river since April when combined winter runoff and heavy rains forced Brookfield to release more water than usual from upstream dams.

Flooding, particularly in Colton, Potsdam and Norwood, resulted in an estimated $1 million in damage. That number could change when reports from federal inspectors who surveyed the damage last week are taken into account.

Colton, Potsdam and St. Lawrence County all declared states of emergency between April 29 and May 5 due to the flooding.

As much as another inch of rainfall is predicted to fall Monday to Wednesday, the National Weather Service reported, before the threat of more rain diminishes.

The river continues to “run near action stage” and will remain steady or rise this week, said weather service forecasters. “At these levels, low lying areas such as fields and yards of some residences will be covered in water,” says the advisory.

In addition to minor flooding concerns, river flows will remain dangerous to boaters and paddlers, and residents should not go in or near the river, forecasters said.