BOTTINEAU - Canadian residents are helping hold back water from swollen Lake Metigoshe while flooding continues in the north central and eastern parts of North Dakota.

Rick Hummel, the Bottineau County emergency services director, said the level at Lake Metigoshe "stabilized somewhat" on Wednesday, after rising more than 3 feet over the weekend, and about a quarter of an inch between Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.

"We don't want any more water in the lake," Hummel said.

Dennis Crowe, a commissioner for the Winchester Municipality that borders Lake Metigoshe on the Canadian side, said about five semi loads of rock were piled near Canada Creek to limit flows into the lake.

Canada Creek is fed by Sharpe Lake, which Crowe said could store another foot of water to give Lake Metigoshe with some "breathing room."

"Dwane Getzlaff (an official of Roland Township, where Lake Metigoshe is located) and I have been friends for many years and it's one of those things we can do to help give Metigoshe a little relief," Crowe said. "It just seems like the right thing to do."

Canadians in the community of Deloraine, about 20 miles northwest of Lake Metigoshe, had their own flood problems last week when nearly 12 inches of rain fell in Turtle Mountain Provincial Park and ran off into the city.

Lake Metigoshe residents have gone through more than 30,000 sandbags in fighting the flooding, Hummel said. And residents of Bottineau have had to deal with Oak Creek, an outlet from the lake that flows through the city.

Hummel said Wednesday that Bottineau's sewer system is "being worked hard but it hasn't flooded. It's still working."

Anna Teske, who has lived in a house along the creek for the past 28 years, said she had never seen the water come so close to her house.

"This is definitely the highest I've ever seen it," she said.

In southeastern North Dakota, the rising Wild Rice River has been causing problems in Great Bend, a town of about 120 people near Wahpeton.

The river is on the west edge of town, and Great Bend residents have been sandbagging, said Harlan Bladow, who works for the Richland County Highway Department.

"The city people there are battling," Bladow said. "We brought some sand in there and they've been doing some sandbagging. Some of the local farmers around there, too, also have been doing some sandbagging."

He said the river appeared to be going down to the west, along the Sargent County line.