Iowa Flood Center Precipitation Gages and Soil Moisture Probes

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Brad Crawford

Access Rainfall and Soil Moisture/Temperature Data using the Iowa Flood Information System and any of the following three methods

METHOD 1 (Step by step instructions)

Visit http://iowafloodcenter.org
Launch IFIS >> http://ifis.iowafloodcenter.org/ifis/en/
Click Launch IFIS (View Screenshot)
From the dashboard, click LAUNCH in the STATE OVERVIEW tab. (View Screenshot)
Click Rain/Soil Moisture Gauges under the DATA RESOURCES tab. (View Screenshot)
The gauges should now appear, zoom in to the Turkey River Watershed by double clicking or using the controls in the upper left. (View Screenshot)
Click on an icon for basic information.

Posted in IFloodS

XPOL Radars in Iowa’s Turkey River basin

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Dan Ceynar

Finding a location for two of the four University of Iowa XPOL radars was easy. They will remain at their current home base locations near Iowa City and Cedar Rapids overlooking the Clear Creek Watershed for the IFloodS campaign. For the other two destined for the Turkey River basin in northeast Iowa — well, there was work to be done.

As is typical, finding the “ideal” radar locations proved to be challenging. The primary goal was simple enough — a high spot with a good view. Then we add in the need for power, communications, and access, and it becomes more complicated.… Read more ›

Posted in IFloodS

West Union’s Streetscape Featured on Larry King’s In View

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Brad Crawford

West Union’s green pilot streetscape project and partnership with the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) will be featured on an educational television program, “Profiles Series” with host Larry King, on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 6:00 am on the Discovery Channel. The half-hour program will include other feature segments and commentary by host Larry King from the studio. A production team gathered footage in West Union on November 1, 2012.… Read more ›

Posted in Uncategorized, Watershed Management Authority

Farmers interested in Turkey River Watershed projects

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Jean Caspers-Simmet, AgriNews

GUNDER —Ron McCartney wears several hats with the Turkey River Watershed Management Authority. He is WMA secretary/treasurer, a Clayton County supervisor, and he farms land impacted by Turkey River flooding.

“This is completely different than anything we’ve done in the past,” said McCartney. “We’ve had a lot of water quality projects in this area, but this is the first time someone is taking a shot to see if it’s possible to affect water flow.… Read more ›

Posted in Flood Mitigation, Watershed Management Authority

Otter Creek chosen for Iowa Flood Center Project

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Jean Caspers-Simmet, AgriNews

The Turkey River Watershed Management Authority is working on a five-year pilot demonstration project with IIHR – Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa and the Iowa Flood Center.

The project’s goal is to create state-of-the-art hydrological modeling of the water flowing through the Turkey River Watershed, said Lora Friest, executive director of Northeast Iowa RC&D in Postville.

The Iowa Flood Center has put its own stream stage sensors at 11 locations in the watershed and at other locations.… Read more ›

Posted in Flood Mitigation, Watershed Management Authority

Wetlands system could reduce floods, aid crops

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Iowa Farmer Today

Engineers at Oregon State University have developed a new interactive planning tool to create networks of small wetlands in Midwest farmlands, which could help the region prevent massive spring floods and also retain water and mitigate droughts in a warming climate.

The planning approach, which is being developed and tested in a crop-dominated watershed near Indianapolis, is designed to identify the small areas best suited to wetland development, optimize their location and size, and restore a significant portion of the region’s historic water storage ability by using only a small fraction of its land.… Read more ›

Posted in Uncategorized

Otter Creek in Fayette County Recommended for $1.5 Million in Flood Control Funding

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Brad Crawford

The Turkey River Watershed Management Authority met on March 28^th at the YMCA in Postville. Approximately 60 attendees, including the TRWMA Board, listened to presentations given by NRCS Iowa State Conservationist, Jay Mar and Larry Weber, the Director of IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering and Iowa Flood Center.

Before the presentations, the TRWMA Board accepted a recommendation from the TRWMA Executive Committee and voted unanimously to recommend the Iowa Flood Center select Otter Creek in Fayette County for modeling.… Read more ›

Posted in Flood Mitigation, Watershed Management Authority

Eastern Iowa NASA project may sharpen flood predictions

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Cedar Rapids Gazette

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration plans to collect Iowa precipitation data this spring that could launch a new era of timely and accurate flood predictions.

The data will help scientists understand how satellite radar images relate to actual rainfall so they can more accurately predict rainfall amounts and flood events, said Vitold Krajewski, director of the Iowa Flood Center, which is partnering with NASA on the Iowa Flood Study project.

Sara Steussy, a research support coordinator at the flood center, said most of the instruments will be deployed in a line running roughly from Waterloo to Iowa City, with the most powerful portable radar unit situated southwest of Waterloo.

That radar unit will fill a gap in coverage of the four National Weather Service radars operating in Iowa, Petersen said.

A second cluster of about 20 rain gauges with soil moisture sensors and two smaller portable radars will be deployed in the Turkey River Valley, Steussy said.

$1.5M Grant to Benefit Residents of Turkey River Watershed

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Iowa Flood Center

The Iowa Flood Center has announced that the Soap and Chequest Creek, Turkey River, and Upper Cedar River watersheds will each receive a $1.5 million grant for construction of watershed improvement projects to support flood mitigation, such as farm ponds, wetlands, and floodplain easements in a targeted area of the watershed. The grant, provided with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is part of the Iowa Watersheds Project, an effort of the Iowa Flood Center at the University of Iowa.… Read more ›

Posted in Flood Mitigation

Identifying Subwatersheds within the TRW

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Brad Crawford

As our comprehensive watershed planning process begins in the Turkey River Watershed and the Iowa Flood Center (IFC) looks to implement a Watershed Demonstration project, it has become apparent that we need to start identifying sub-watershed projects in the Turkey River Watershed for both the comprehensive watershed plan and the IFC watershed demonstration project.

We will know on February 19th whether the Iowa Watershed Advisory Council has selected the Turkey River Watershed for funding a HUC 12 watershed project in partnership with the Iowa Flood Center, and we plan to operate on the assumption that the Turkey River Watershed is one of the 3 out of 4 watersheds that is selected.… Read more ›

Posted in Watershed Management Authority

Iowa flood planning goes high-tech

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Orlan Love, Cedar Rapids Gazette

Innovative research on northeast Iowa’s Turkey River may herald a breakthrough in state efforts to mitigate future flood damage.

“This really is the first time that hydro modeling has been done in advance of project implementation to get the highest value for the investment,” said Larry Weber, director of IIHR — Hydroscience & Engineering, the parent organization of the Iowa Flood Center.… Read more ›

Posted in Clean Water, Flood Mitigation, Watershed Management Authority

New ‘Sponsored Projects’ program of Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF)

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Brad Crawford

A brand new program, the “Water Resource Restoration Sponsored Projects” will help cities, watershed organizations, landowners and others address local water quality problems. A total of $15 million will be available per year for watershed protection practices such as stream buffers, wetland restoration and green infrastructure.

The Iowa General Assembly initiated the effort in 2009 when lawmakers authorized a new funding mechanism. Previously, in Iowa Code 384.80, utility revenues could only be used for construction and improvements for the wastewater system. Now, wastewater utilities can also finance and pay for projects, within or outside the corporate limits, that cover best management practices to keep sediment, nutrients, chemicals and other pollutants out of streams and lakes.… Read more ›

Posted in Clean Water, Watershed Management Authority

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