By Cindy Hadish
CEDAR RAPIDS – Flood worries did not factor into the location of Marlene Chramosta’s shop, but the new business owner cheered the news that removable flood walls will likely be used for portions of the Cedar River’s west side.
“I think that’s a good idea because you’re not losing the aesthetics of the river,” she said of the idea to use panels that are installed when the risk of flooding arises.
The 30 vendors who sell scarves, ornaments, jewelry, artwork, cupcakes and other goods in Ms. Chramosta’s new Czech Village General Store, 76 16th Ave. SW, also can rest easy, though flood protection may still be years away.
A small Cedar Rapids delegation returned inspired after visiting Nashville on Dec. 9, a trip spurred in part by news that Cedar Rapids would receive $264 million in flood protection funding from the state.
The group – Mayor Ron Corbett, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz and Dave Elgin, the city’s public works director – learned firsthand about flood protection for Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House, which flooded in 2010.
Mr. Corbett said the trip is one way to help decide what flood protection system Cedar Rapids will use, now that funding is nearly complete for the $570 million project cost. On Dec. 4, the Iowa Flood Mitigation Board announced the award to Cedar Rapids, along with five other cities.
Funding comes through the state’s new Flood Mitigation Program, which recaptures the growth in sales tax to help with flood mitigation projects.
The initiative allows for the increment, or growth, in sales tax to be returned to a jurisdiction over a 20-year period, with an annual cap of 70 percent of the growth, or $15 million.
“We really received a tremendous boost from the state of Iowa,” Mr. Pomeranz said.
The new Flood Mitigation Board is composed of four members from the public, five members from state agencies and four ex-officio members from the General Assembly.
Mr. Corbett, who initiated the idea for the program, patterned after funding for the Iowa Speedway in Newton, said Cedar Rapids will use a “pay-as-you-go” system, rather than issuing bonds.
The funding provides 46 percent of the cost for the proposed mitigation system. That system includes construction of 6.24 miles of levees and permanent and removable flood walls; 11 pump stations; 21 roadway and railroad gate closures; improvements to a flood prone bridge and design on a second river crossing.
Mr. Elgin said the nine phases planned for the system will be implemented as funding becomes available, or as needed to integrate projects such as the proposed casino.
He noted that federal guidelines would only fund flood protection for the east side of the river, so the state’s award makes a difference for the emerging Kingston Village, Czech Village and the proposed Cedar Crossing Casino on the west.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on detailed design work for east side flood protection.
Other cities that will benefit from the state funding are: Coralville, which will receive $9.8 million; Dubuque at $98.5 million; Iowa City, $8.5 million; Storm Lake, $4 million and Waverly, $5.6 million.
Mr. Pomeranz said city leaders and legislators supported each others’ efforts.
“This is true regionalism, the way this occurred,” he said. “We helped each other.”
All three said more planning is needed before engineering, design and implementation begin. The first phase will get under way next year with a continuation of flood protection around the Quaker plant on the river’s east side.
The second phase targets the west side between Interstate 380 and the Eighth Avenue bridge.
An application to the state noted that the epic flooding in Cedar Rapids in 2008 closed nine out of 10 bridges, leaving Interstate 380 as the only way to access both sides of the city.
Eventually, one of the additional projects the city will complete is construction of a new Cedar River bridge connecting C Street SW to Otis Road SE, which will provide another river crossing.
In June 2008, the Cedar River crested to its highest level in Cedar Rapids history at 31.12 feet, far surpassing the previous record of 20 feet. The city has already used $117 million in federal funds for flood buyouts and other projects.
A decision on $78 million in federal funding through the Water Resources and Reform Development Act is expected soon and the city’s $110 million portion will be decided in the future.
While measures to provide that local match via sales tax extensions were defeated in 2011 and 2012, voters in November approved extending the local option sales tax for road projects. That will free up money that the city had been borrowing for streets.
Mr. Pomeranz said a demonstration of removable flood walls could happen this spring at the new amphitheatre.
As envisioned, in the event of a flood emergency, removable wall sections would be installed by city crews with some private contractor assistance or perhaps, as happened in 2008 and earlier this year with sandbagging, the use of volunteers.
The Cedar Rapids group tried their hands at constructing such a wall during their brief trip to Nashville. Four feet of floodwaters inundated the Grand Ole Opry stage in 2010, after which flood protection was privately funded, rather than waiting for the long process of federal funding. The three men were enthused by the simplicity of the removable walls and the lightweight but powerful panels that could be lifted by one or two people, depending on the length of the segment.
Mr. Elgin cited a new titanium bolt among other features that showed new innovations are continually being developed to make use of the removable walls more feasible.
“It’s a very simple system with a very quick learning curve (for implementation),” he said.
Mr. Pomeranz said flood protection in Cedar Rapids will be a combination of earthen levees and permanent walls, with removable walls in areas where a view of the river is advantageous for development.
“This demonstration (in Nashville) gives me encouragement for more removable walls where appropriate,” he said.
