OTTUMWA — There were three concrete signs that Ottumwa is getting past the floods that marked most of the last month.

The Market Street Bridge reopened with the roar of a bulldozer pulling apart the massive sand barricades that have kept it closed and, everyone hoped, secure against the Des Moines River. A street sweeper buzzed in the background, almost unnoticed compared to the noise of the larger machines.

Market Street was closed for 21 days as the river crested just above 20 feet. Pre-flood guidelines called for the city to close the bridge when the river reached 17 feet. The closure and ongoing repairs on the Wapello Street Bridge left Ottumwa drivers with only the Jefferson Street viaduct as a fully-functional path over the river.

By 2 p.m. Wednesday, the Market Street Bridge was open to traffic.

It looked like it would take longer to reopen West Second Street, closed since June 12 to protect against flooding on Harrows Branch. The city built a temporary dirt berm across the road to contain the creek.

Two concerns drove that decision. One is that Harrows Branch can flood in heavy rains, even without the river flooding. The other is that the river really doesn’t care where the water goes. If the creek is lower the river will back up into it, raising water levels and keeping the creek from draining normally.

Trucks, a backhoe and a skid loader moved the dirt off the road so traffic can use it again. The berm’s western side was down before noon and crews prepared to knock out the other side.

The third major sign came from the river itself. The National Weather Service said the Des Moines River at Ottumwa is below 15 feet on Wednesday, the first time the river has been below the major flood stage since June 13. And forecasters say it will keep falling. Projections show the river out of the moderate flood stage in less than a week.

While water is going down everywhere, it’s still causing problems in some areas just outside the city. Dick Damm spent part of Wednesday watching the water fall from a folding chair on Rabbit Run Road. He was concerned about a couple of rental properties he owns.

The water was out of the homes, but not yet out of the yards. It revealed off-center foundation blocks on a couple homes. Damm said they were hit by trees when the flood was at its height.

Recovery is the concern now, specifically the regulations on septic systems. They’ve changed, and Damm worries that the inspectors won’t grandfather the older systems.

“I didn’t have anything wrong to begin with,” he said, “But now I’m going to have to spend money to get back up to code. That sewer issue is going to be a big one.”

Residents are already getting some rebuilding materials in place. The most obvious is a large stockpile of concrete chunks destined for areas the river may have gouged out the bank. Stabilizing the ground will be an important part of the recovery.

A blue car pulls up alongside Damm.

“Is the water ever going to go down?” the driver calls.