Sightseers presenting safety risk at Coralville dam

Safety concerns have prompted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close Prairie du Chien Road over the Coralville Dam later this week.

During Sunday's daily flood outlook press conference, lake operations manager Dee Goldman said Prairie du Chien Road would be closed as the lake continues to approach the spillway. The roadway will be closed at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Goldman said a lot of sightseers are coming out to the area, impeding the corps' work and presenting a safety risk.

“It is still a very dangerous situation,” he said.

Kathy Atkinson, administrative officer at the lake, said only the portion of the road close to the dam will be closed off and access to Turkey Creek disc golf course, the visitors' center and the Corp of Engineers' offices will be maintained.

“It's the same thing we did in 2008,” she said. “We have a lot of visitors and cars that are coming out here to look at that water.”

At midday on Sunday, dozens of cars, motorcycles and bicyclists steadily crossed the dam. Roughly a hundred spectators braved strong winds and cool temperatures to get a look at the water. Down at the spillway, other spectators attempted the steep climb up the spillway to get a closer look at the lake, which is only a few feet below the edge of the spillway.

“We just wanted to see history, I guess,” said John Kurt, of Riverside.

The corps expects to close the Tailwater East and Cottonwood campgrounds near the dam on Monday. There are a few campers at Tailwater but none at Cottonwood, Goldman said.

The lake is still open to boaters, but Goldman encouraged people to stay off it.

The Iowa River below the lake remains closed by order of the Johnson County Sherriff's Office. However, not everyone is heeding that order.

Iowa City police caught some canoeists in the fast-moving river Saturday, Terrence Neuzil, a Johnson County supervisor serving as spokesman for the county's Emergency Management Agency, said Sunday. They were removed, but not arrested.

“The message is real clear: On the river, no means no,” Neuzil said.

The historic Sutliff Bridge, which had a third of its span wash away when the Cedar River flooded in 2008, should not be impacted by flooding this year, said Larry Weber, director of University of Iowa's IIHR –Hydroscience & Engineering.

The Cedar River crested Sunday morning and water was 5 or 6 feet below the bridge's deck, he said.

The bridge, built in 1898 and located in northeast Johnson County, was re-opened last fall after a $1.9 restoration project.

Iowa City police Sgt. Brian Krei said the department has not had to deal with gawkers in the same way they did during the 2008 floods, but he still advised people who have no business being in flooded or flood-prone areas to stay away.

“People should stay out of those areas,” Krei said. “They don't need to be around there. The people dealing with the floods have a lot on their hands and on their minds…and just have to take of business right now.”

Gazette reporter Gregg Hennigan contributed to this report.