Cedar Rapids flooding
- Thread starter Messi
- Start date
We are talking about water management right?
The 2010 Iowa River Dam Inventory calls the dam at Cedar Rapids a 'low-head' dam. Yet it is one of the most unusual low head dams I've ever seen. It has gates which open or close depending on the water flow. Odd that those gates have been open most of the summer. Heck, if Waterloo doesn't have something similar to control that 70+ feet of water depth at George Wythe park, then I just don't know. Perhaps there SHOULD be more flood control gates along the Cedar?
But what am I complaining about? A 2010 survey that has obviously been out of date since plans were made for Interstate 380 to pass over the dam at Cedar Rapids? That seems far less a complaint than Congress passing authorization for work on flood control along the Cedar and yet allocating NO funds for such work (thank you Chuck Grassley and Republicans). And when few funds are allocated for post flood rebuilding along the Cedar, it must first pass through DSM where large buckets are dipped into that pile of cash and diverted to who knows where. No, a lot more in Iowa needs the kind of management that our rivers and streams should be getting, but it won't come as long as it has to pass through political bodies.
Simply saying that the recreational area that is George Wythe Park may be better utilized if the water levels along the Cedar were better controlled.
Grassley is being realistic although I usually disagree with about everything that comes out of his mouth.
Problem is that congress has authorized something like $60 billion in Corps projects for design and construction. The Corps annual budget is approximately $4 billion of which around $ 1 billion is for actual design/construction. Even if you cut the backlog in half by deauthorizing and deleting older unfunded projects the backlog will remain HUGE and never be completed without a total stop to adding new projects or an enormous increase in the Corps budget, neither of which is going to happen. The politicians decided earmarks were something to disdain and took away a piece of their own "power of the purse" (not like any Iowa members have any clout in appropriations anyway).
Congress has included some hollow language in an introduced authorization bill directing the Corps to "expedite" the project but it's non-binding feel good language in a water resources development act that is unlikely to pass anyway. A project with a weak benefit/cost ratio that was only authorized in 2014 is not going to leapfrog other national projects authorized prior to it with better return on the dollar. The Corps annual budget proposal and the President's subsequent proposal to Congress is going to prioritized funding to complete projects already underway over starting another new project. Congress doesn't have the stomach to project specific funding direction in an actual appropriation bill which would be binding. Haven't seen that done for a midwestern project since Rep. Oberstar was a power in appropriations.
If CR is going to get built it's likely to be done without much federal financial support. Even as proposed the project is more local/state then federal since the fed project authorized is only a piece of what the locals want, something like 10-15% or so.
/end long mini op-ed by former Corps project manager
Seriously, as far as river hydraulics and watershed hydrology you have absolutely no idea what the hell you are talking about.
It's raining in CR... Hard... This is very bad.
We gonna lose everything we've built in the last 8 years. Are you ******* kidding me?
We gonna lose everything we've built in the last 8 years. Are you ******* kidding me?
Well, moved into an apartment downtown about a month ago. Looks like I'll be without a place for a while.
Driving into work today (from SW side into CR) I was surprised at how full the streams were...a few well out of their banks! All ditches were full...the rain didn't get my attention overnight...maybe because of the non-stop lightning! The lightning displays all night were impressive! As for the flooding...ugh...no fun at all!
Doesn't look like they are increasing the predictions for CR. I think the good thing last night is that different areas of the watershed were hit last night than the night before. The rain event from last night jumped the river about 2 feet, but its already going back down, and the rain from Wednesday night looks to arrive in CR midday tomorrow. Hopefully everything that hit last night/this morning is able to get out of town before Wednesday nights rain shows up.
This is funny. Where I'm at in CR we got 1" between 5:30 and 6:15 yesterday. Then 2+" more overnight.
They lowered the estimated crest to 22 feet. Hopefully it lowers more..
I hope this is right. Just heard from a friend who works on the outskirts of downtown, few blocks east of NewBo and she said latest predictions are 26 feet Sunday/Monday. That would be really bad. Hope hers is old info.
