By the end of the day Saturday University of Iowa officials hope to have most of the planned flood protection measures along the Iowa River in place to address current high water projections.

As a result, Sunday will be used to give contractors and university workers involved in flood-related preparations a much needed break and to bring in additional supplies, should they be needed.

Meanwhile, UI officials say they’ll continue to monitor the weather and outflow from the Coralville Reservoir, though a break in the rain overnight Friday and a favorable forecast through Monday was welcome news.

No widespread rainfall was reported Friday night, and while scattered thunderstorms are expected into Saturday night, precipitation should be minimal. The next chance for any notable rainfall is Tuesday through Thursday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Corps of Engineers increased the managed outflow from the dam to 18,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). The rising reservoir pool from inflow will push the levels to 20,000 cfs by Monday or Tuesday. Water is expected to top the spillway June 6, rising to 712.8 feet—less than a foot over the 712-foot top. The water is expected to be below the top of the spillway by June 11.

Although the peak flow of the Iowa River through Iowa City is currently predicted to reach 21,000 cfs, the UI has been building HESCO barriers and sandbagging walls assuming a flow of at least 24,000 cfs through Iowa City. The barriers have been erected to 4 feet in many places, including along the east and west banks of the Iowa River, but installed in a way that they can be topped with additional HESCOs should the situation change.

Except for the flood preparation work by some UI staff, and the cancelation of just one summer camp this summer, the university—including UI Hospitals and Clinics—is operating normally. Unless buildings have been officially closed, such as Mayflower Residence Hall, Art Building West, the Theatre Building and the Museum of Art building, faculty, staff and students still have access to work, research and study areas.

On Friday the UI School of Music announced it is canceling all three weeks of its summer music camps, scheduled to run June 9-28. More information.

The rising waters are also forcing the closure of some local roads, which can affect members of the UI community. The City of Iowa City closed North Dubuque Street on Thursday, and the city says there’s a chance it could close Rocky Shore Drive and Iowa Avenue between Madison Street and Riverside Drive early next week. Johnson County will likely close Sand Road between 520th Street and Highway 22 as well. People who use these routes to travel to and from campus should plan to take alternate routes and build in extra time for travel.

The UI continues to encourage people to stay away from flood-protected areas and be aware of trucks, cranes and other heavy equipment being used throughout the campus and community.

For people personally affected by the flood, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has provided guidelines to homeowners regarding how to dispose of flood-damaged items. Discarded items should be set out in separate piles:

• Garbage (mattresses, furniture, etc.)
• Hazardous Waste (paints, solvents, herbicides, fertilizer, etc.)
• Appliances, electronics (TVs, computer monitors, etc.) and tires
• Scrap metal

For more information, visit www.iowadnr.gov/disaster.htmlor contact your local solid waste agency.

The DNR also offers safety tips for homeowners returning to houses that have been flooded in a flyer at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/files/disaster/returnhome.pdf.

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.