Thursday, May 30, 2013
Written by: Stephen Pradarelli

Updated at 3:58 p.m. Thursday, May 30, 2013

The University of Iowa continued putting protective measures in place Thursday as rainfall predictions and planned releases from the Coralville reservoir are expected to push the Iowa River beyond its banks in Iowa City by early next week.

Installation of a flood wall around Art Building West (ABW) is ahead of schedule and that building is expected to be closed by the end of the day Thursday. The Theatre Building and former Museum of Art (part of which is being used by the UI School of Music) are still on target to be closed by 5 p.m. Friday.

Work also continues at other buildings in low lying areas of campus, including plugging drain pipes, installing HESCO barriers (4-foot square containers filled with sand and stacked) at Mayflower Residence Hall and elsewhere and, where deemed necessary, moving items in basements of buildings to higher ground.

Meanwhile, the City of Iowa City has closed Dubuque Street between Park Road and Foster Road and officials say it could remain closed at least until mid-June.

Because of the road closure and increased traffic of trucks, cranes, and other heavy equipment involved in flood preparations and regularly scheduled construction projects, travelers to, from and around the UI campus are encouraged to be mindful of possible delays and to plan extra time to ensure safety.

Despite the flood preparations, university operations are continuing normally and no events have been canceled or postponed. That could change, however, if forecasts for heavy rainfall in Iowa City and communities upriver prove accurate.

On Thursday, the U.S. Corps of Engineers announced plans to increase outflow from the Coralville reservoir to 14,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) later Thursday, to 17,000 cfs Friday, and potentially up to the maximum 20,000 cfs over the weekend and early next week to keep up with the inflow from the Iowa River Basin. Even with those measures and no additional rainfall, the Corps predicts water will go over the 712-foot spillway Tuesday, June 4 by as much as 1.5 feet.

Based on those predictions, the UI is enacting flood protection measures comparable to 2008 water levels. In 2008, the reservoir’s peak elevation was 717.39 feet, and the Iowa River flow reached 42,000 cfs.

  • University officials will once again hold a media briefing at 3 p.m. Friday, May 31 in 2520D of the University Capitol Centre.
  • UI Main Library staff members are moving materials out of the basement. The basement currently houses older and infrequently used items and for general storage and does not contain archives or special collections, which were permanently moved to upper floors after the 2008 flood.
  • The Art Library, located in Art Building West, will be closed Thursday along with ABW. Reserve materials for summer classes will be moved to the UI Main Library. Other materials may be requested via interlibrary loan.
  • Iowans are reminded that the Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS), which provides maps and up-to-date information about community-specific flood conditions across the state, is available for free online at ifis.iowafloodcenter.org. Of particular interest to several Iowa communities are flood inundation maps in IFIS to help people visualize the potential extent of flooding at a range of river levels. This information can assist in planning and mitigation decisions, and help homeowners, business owners, and others see how predicted flood levels might affect their property.
  • The UI does not need volunteers and is reassigning staff to flood preparation duties. However, Iowa City plans to begin sandbagging operations Friday and is seeking volunteers to help from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. Volunteers should check in at Montgomery Hall on the fairgrounds to sign up for a 15-minutes briefing. Volunteers assigned to sites around the city are encouraged to keep their vehicles at the fairgrounds and use provided shuttle service. For the latest flood-related news from the City of Iowa City, visit www.icgov.org/flood.
  • United Way of Johnson County has created a flood information blog at www.unitedwayjc.org/blog-entry/29-05-2013/flood-information-resources. United Way has also established a Disaster Call Center that will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for people in need of help or seeking volunteer opportunities. The number is 319-337-8657. After 8 p.m., people with questions can call 211 or 1-866-469-2211.

For ongoing updates, University of Iowa Communication and Marketing (UCM) has established an Iowa Now hub for the latest information about flood preparations at now.uiowa.edu/keywords/flood-updates-2013. Additionally, UCM is providing information via Twitter (hashtag #UIFloodUpdates).

Questions about flood preparations and related issues may be directed via email to uiflood-questions@uiowa.edu. A member of the UCM staff will try to track down answers as soon as possible or refer queries to appropriate sources.