Iowa River Crests Lower Than Expected in Iowa City, Coralville

By Diane Heldt, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Jun. 15–IOWA CITY — The flooded Iowa River crested today at more than a foot lower than predicted.

But Iowa City officials warn that a very slow descent will keep the river at flood levels for days and keep affected residents and business owners out of their property for some time.

Getting people back into their homes and businesses could take days or weeks once floodwaters drop, Mayor Regenia Bailey said, because the safety of utilities and the ability of fire and police to reach neighborhoods must be confirmed first.

Coralville Lake crested at 717 feet today. Water from the reservoir flows downstream in the Iowa River, which crested at 31.5 feet today. The river, with a flood stage of 22 feet, is projected to stay at 31.5 feet through Monday and may not drop below 30 feet until Friday.

And while city officials are breathing a sigh of relief that the earlier predicted peak of 33 feet was not reached, Bailey said they know much recovery for affected residents and businesses remains ahead.

The condition of Iowa City’s critical infrastructures, such as water and power, remained good today, officials said.

And the Benton and Burlington street bridges remained open.

The condition of the closed Park Road bridge, which is nearly covered in water and is catching much debris and trash, is a concern for city officials. That bridge is a different design than others in the city, making it more susceptible to damage. The water must go down six to eight feet before officials can fully inspect the bridge for damage.

The river was flowing at 41,700 cubic feet per second through Iowa City this afternoon. Officials believe that number could fall to 35,000 cubic feet per second by Friday.

Water could stop flowing over the emergency spillway at Coralville Lake by June 25, depending on rainfall.

Where Iowa CIty flooded

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Crest lower than expected

The Iowa River is cresting in Iowa City and Coralville today at 31.5 feet, as long as more heavy rain does not drench the area.

That after the early morning crest at Coralville Lake just below 717 feet above sea level means the Iowa River will crest at 31.5 feet, barring any unusual amounts of additional water from rain in today’s forecast.

Additionally, city officials said, there no plans to close either of the two remaining river bridge crossings in Iowa City, the Benton and Burlington street bridges — welcome news to residents here.

Coralville Lake lake was releasing 39,000 cubic feet of water per second from the Coralville Dam while taking in 39,500 cubic feet per second, lake operations manager John Castle said at 10:30 this morning. He said earlier predictions that more than 42,500 cubic feet per second would be sent downstream to Iowa City and Coralville no longer applied because the Coralville Lake crest did not go to the 717.75 feet above sea level that was feared last week.

As late as daybreak today the National Weather Service was predicting the Iowa River would crest at 7 a.m. Tuesday at 33 feet.

How this plays out now in Iowa City and Coralville depends upon today’s weather because the river was measuring at 31.5 feet already this morning, according to a reading posted on the Weather Service’s Web site. Meanwhile, more local rain and water from local creeks could affect this projected crest and additional rains are expected today, city officials pointed out.

Even with a lower crest the flood already has busted previous records and will be of prolonged duration, city officials said in a news release this morning.

Corps officials have told the city that, if conditions remain dry, outflows will fall gradually over the next week to about 35,000 cubic feet per second on Friday. The hope is that water stops going over the Coralville Lake spillway on June 24 or 25, city officials said.

CITY SERVICES OK

City officials also said this morning city water, waste water and power sources are protected at the current level and barring any unforeseen increases in water level, they had a high level of confidence these vital services will be uninterrupted.

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Copyright (c) 2008, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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