With water levels remaining stable in the Coralville Lake and the Iowa River, the University of Iowa is beginning to plan the dismantling of HESCO barriers and other temporary floodwalls around campus.

Details are still being worked out, but removal of the barriers (including the wall around Art Building West), repairs to sidewalks and landscaping impacted by their installation and removal, and restoration of pedestrian pathways could begin soon.

Active buildings vacated ahead of the flood risk—including Art Building West, the Theater Building, the former Museum of Art (interim School of Music facility), and Mayflower residence hall—will be reopened as soon as possible so programs in those buildings can be made ready for the fall semester.

"With continued positive news regarding pool elevation levels at the Coralville Reservoir and the flow of the Iowa River, on-campus flooding risks are at a level that allows for planning and preparation to remove the barriers put into place to protect the campus at the beginning of June,” says Rod Lehnertz, UI Facilities Management director of planning, design, and construction.

The work’s pace and completion will depend on weather conditions and the levels at Coralville Lake, which UI officials will continue to monitor carefully throughout the process.

During the barrier removal, the public is again urged to stay away from work sites for their safety and the safety of work crews.

For ongoing updates, University of Iowa Communication and Marketing (UCM) has established anIowa Nowhub for the latest information about flood preparations at now.uiowa.edu/keywords/flood-updates-2013, and flood-related FAQs can be found here. 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.