Anatomy of Iowa Floods: Preparing for the Future
Wednesday, June 16
4:00-6:00 p.m.
Burlington City Council Chambers
AGENDA
- Welcome and Introductions: Jeff Heland, Des Moines County Supervisor
- A Watershed Year: Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008
Slides - Trends in Iowa precipitation: Joe Bolkcom, Outreach and Community Education Director, CGRER
- Trends in Iowa run-off: Greg Brenneman, ISU Ag Engineering Field Specialist
Slides
How are we preparing for more Iowa floods?
- The Iowa Flood Center: Witek Krajewski, Director, Iowa Flood Center
Slides - Floodplain management strategies: Lori McDaniel, IDNR Water Resources Section Supervisor
Summary
Statewide flooding and considerable property damage led to the first unified effort to deal with flood losses. The Iowa Natural Resources Council was created in 1949 to provide water planning. Planning is still of paramount importance today to protect Iowan's life and property from floods and flood damages. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) protects the prosperity of Iowans through the state's flood plain management programs:
- Flood Plain Mapping: The DNR coordinates the state's flood plain mapping program to help Iowans evaluate their risks of flooding and flood damages. The DNR is working with the Iowa Flood Center to ensure development of accurate statewide flood plain maps using the best available data.
- Flood Plain Permitting: The DNR sets minimum state criteria for development in the flood plains. People constructing or rebuilding in the flood plain must obtain a permit from the DNR and build structures to meet the criteria, ensuring some protection.
- Technical Assistance: The DNR's flood plain staffers help local governments develop ordinances and standards that increase their eligibility for the National Flood Insurance Program. The DNR may also delegate parts of its permitting authority to a local government.
- Dam Safety: Staffers work to prevent dam failures, protecting people and buildings downstream by ensuring dams meet construction and maintenance standards. Emergency action plans are required for all high hazard dams.
While the DNR has authority to regulate the flood plains of the state, success depends on three factors:
- Achieving technical coordination. It takes scientists, engineers, educators and economists working together to make the best decisions using the best available data.
- Comprehensive planning for short and long term goals is essential.
- Local involvement. Successful planning takes more than good data. Effective planning can only happen when local people are involved and participate in planning how flood plains are used in their communities.
We at the DNR are committed to working with you to ensure that the information and technical assistance is available to make wise decisions on the use of our flood plains.
Slides - Water quality issues: Chuck Corell, IDNR Water Quality Bureau Chief
Summary
Many of the tools we can use to reduce the damages caused by flooding also can reduce water pollution. Increasing the amount of rain that soaks into the ground reduces runoff to the stream. We can also reduce the amount of rain that runs off into the stream by holding more in the watershed. But the best way of reducing damages from floods is to let the flood plain function as a flood plain and not fill it with buildings and other structures that will be damaged when it floods.
All of these flood mitigation methods can also reduce water pollution. Sediment can bury habitat used by fish and other animals that live in the stream. Less runoff means less erosion and less sediment in the stream. Some nutrients bind tightly to soils so reducing erosion also reduces nutrients and increasing the amount of growing plants on the landscape--both rural and urban--can prevent the nutrients from entering the stream. Pathogens that can make swimmers sick can wash off the landscape so, again, reducing runoff and erosion can reduce the amount of pathogens in our rivers and streams.
Slides - Rural-urban watershed coalition building: Wayne Petersen, Urban Conservation Program Coordinator, IDALS
Slides - Cedar Falls Floodplain Initiative: Kamyar Enshayan, Cedar Falls City Council
Slides - Discussion of state public policy issues: State Senator Rob Hogg
Q and A from audience (30 - 40 minutes)
Adjourn for refreshments and informal discussions.
This event has been organized by the University of Iowa’s Center for Global & Regional Environmental Research, Rebuild Iowa Office, UNI Center for Energy and Environmental Education, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension, Iowa League of Cities and the Iowa State Association of Counties.
