KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Heavy rains that forced numerous roads to close in Kalamazoo County also turned Western Michigan University’s Waldo Stadium into a de facto swimming pool.
Facility managers tell 24 Hour News 8 the stadium filled up with water around 5:30 a.m. Thursday when the nearby Arcadia Creek overflowed.
WMU workers shut off pumps in the field so the floods wouldn’t backflow into the surrounding building.
As of noon Thursday, the building was fine. The pumps were turned back on and the water receded around 3 p.m.
The field of Waldo Stadium flooded after heavy rains in Kalamazoo Thursday, June 20, 2019. (Courtesy Ericka Perkowski) 
The field of Waldo Stadium flooded after heavy rains in Kalamazoo Thursday, June 20, 2019. (Courtesy Ericka Perkowski) 
The field of Waldo Stadium flooded after heavy rains in Kalamazoo Thursday, June 20, 2019. (Courtesy Ericka Perkowski)
>>App users: Tap here for photos of Waldo Stadium underwater.
Football practice and camp already ended, so the Broncos didn’t have to worry about missing reps.
Waldo Stadium saw similar flooding in 2017 right before WMU’s homecoming game. Grounds crews successfully pumped off all the water and the team took the field the next day.
— 24 Hour News 8’s Heather Walker contributed to this story.
