HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The combination of high river levels and the rainfall from above is making for a lot of problems other than flooded land and closed roads.

Calls to several restoration companies in Hutchinson indicate they are busy with reports of flooded basements.

Tim Boese with the Equus Beds Groundwater Management District says the connection between the Big Arkansas River and the naturally shallow water table, which is only about 10 feet, is causing the problem. Many residents are getting the water because of high pressure from the rising water table and the sandy soil, which is letting the rainfall run through the already-saturated ground.

Boese says that pressure can reach out more than a half mile from the river in the city of Hutchinson, flooding many areas along the river simply because of the rising water table.

Reno County Emergency Management wants to stress that residents with a flooded basement should not enter the water for any reason.