As the Presumpscot River receded slowly from Jim Cashner’s home on Lincoln Street this week, he stood on his deck and surveyed the muddy lawn it left in its wake.

“We did all right,” he said. “(But) now we’ve got to clean up outside,” he said.

Cashner’s home narrowly escaped serious damage last week as heavy rains and a larger than normal winter runoff caused the Presumpscot River to swell over its banks Thursday, causing some flooding, but no serious damage.

The flooding seemed to be exceptionally heavy around the area of Lincoln Street just beyond the Dana Warp Mill. At around 2 p.m. on Thursday the river had overflowed and flooded out two houses along the river, just above the dam. Westbrook Fire Chief Gary Littlefield said the residents of the homes had left before the waters got too high.

Cashner said he was fortunate his home escaped any major damage. “We just missed it going into the house by three inches,” he said.

This is the second time in a matter of weeks Cashner was forced to pick up his furniture in preparation for high water. He said that earlier last month, the water came within six inches of flooding his house.

Littlefield said the river crested at 21.5 feet, about six feet over the Presumpscot’s flood stage of 15 feet. The height of the river was especially evident at Saccarappa Falls near the Dana Warp Mill. As the swollen river rushed over the falls, it also threatened to inundate the trees along the bank and did, in fact, partially submerge many of the trees closest to the river.

In Cashner’s case, the water covered most of his front lawn, making his house appear as if it were an island in the middle of the river. Fortunately, the house does not have a basement, so while the water was right up to the house’s edge, it did not get in.

Cashner said he has lived in the house on Lincoln Street for 30 years, and in about half those years, he has had times where water from the river has covered his lawn. In 1996, he said the river flooded into his house and crested almost as high as his kitchen counter tops.

Littlefield said that, aside from Lincoln Street, there were no other serious cases of flooding in the city. He said the river rose up high near the Stevens Avenue ball field, but it did not flood the field. Also, on Thursday there was some concern that East Bridge Street would need to be closed due to the flooding, but while the water got close to the road, it never needed to be closed.

EMS Director Ron Jones said the recent heavy rains were only partially to blame for the flooding. He said heavier-than-usual winter runoff and heavy storms at the beginning of April have raised the level of Sebago Lake to the point that it cannot handle any more water, forcing the excess water from this week’s storm into the river.

“The runoff filled the lake earlier than normal,” Jones said.

The lake was scheduled to reach its target high level on May 1 in accordance with the lake’s water management plan, but heavy rains raised the water a few days early. Because of the additional rains this week, Sappi Fine Paper, which manages the lake levels, has opened all five of its dams on the Presumpscot River releasing 190,000 cubic feet of water per minute out of Sebago Lake. The Presumpscot is the only outlet of Sebago Lake.

Sappi owns five hydroelectric dams on the Presumpscot River. The company manages the water levels by releasing the water through these dams that create power for the mill. Generally, the company lets only enough water down the Presumpscot that can pass through the dam’s turbines. Since the turbines have a capacity of 50,000 cubic feet per minute, 140,000 cubic feet of water is currently flowing unused over the existing riverbed into the Presumpscot.

While there were no serious problems with the high water this time, Littlefield said residents should stay away from high and fast moving waters.

“That river’s moving,” he said. “If someone slips into it, they’re gone. No one will ever be able to get to them.”

Staff Writer Douglas Wright contributed to this report.