Flood Protection

The topic of flood protection in Cedar Rapids has been ongoing ever since the waters retreated two years ago. In residential areas north of Quaker, the proposal was to raze homes adjacent to the river and build a series of berms and greenways that could serve as recreational space while also offering flood protection. For the more urban downtown area where buildings jut up to the riverfront, the city had proposed a system of removable flood walls. However, the latest recommendation from the Army Corps of Engineers is to build a series of permanent 13-15 foot high flood walls along the east side of the river, while the west side receives no flood protection at all. The total cost for the system would be $116 million, offering a benefit-to-cost ratio of 1.08 that would meet the Corps minimum requirement of 1.

To give the reader an idea of what this could look like...

Escape from New York meets Waterworld.

Not only would this be an aesthetic nightmare for downtown, but it would render useless any future intentions to develop the riverfront into a pedestrian-friendly space. Never mind that it would only protect the downtown business core, ignoring residences and small businesses on the Taylor side of the river (Factoid: the land around First Avenue on the west side of the Cedar River began as small town formerly known as Taylor.  In the early years of the 20th century, it was annexed with the larger city of Cedar Rapids on the east side of the river).

The city seems to be on the same page. Neither the council nor the mayor are in favor of the proposed system, with Mayor Corbett describing it as "puzzling." A push continues by the city for a removable flood wall, the more desirable solution. The removable system would cost $375 million, significantly more than the Corps' permanant wall proposal. While the cost is higher for removable flood protection, there are long-term negative effects associated with a permanent flood wall system that should also be considered.  These could include decreased land value and hindered neighborhood development in areas adjacent to the wall.

One system that has been used extensively around the United States is the Invisible Flood Control Wall offered by Flood Control America. A series of steel plates are installed in a concrete foundation; they are the only aspect of the removable system that remain permanently. When a flood threatens, vertical steel supports are attached to the plates, followed by a base plank with water-tight gaskets and interlocking planks above. This system has been installed with success in Fargo and East Grand Forks, two cities on the Red River that were similarly inundated by floods in 1997.

Installing the planks.

The more expensive solution is the better one for the city in the long run. Other ways to prepare for future floods include moving mechanical systems off the ground level, constructing lower levels with easily cleaned materials, and moving sensitive programming needs such as file storage to upper floors of a building. The chance of another great flood is slim, which is why we should not abandon downtown at the street level. But we can take steps to minimize the damage should we encounter another five hundred year flood in the future.