Crest projections scaled down in Johnson County, despite forecast rain

With crest projections at the Coralville Lake dropping another foot over night and flood forecasts continuing to improve for Johnson County, the United Way on Tuesday suspended operations at its emergency volunteer center.

Officials will continue to register flood volunteers and match them with community needs, but that will be done at the United Way office, according to Christine Scheetz, president and CEO of United Way of Johnson County.

Operations at the emergency volunteer center, which had been located at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, were suspended at noon Tuesday. But the disaster call center will remain in operation through 8 p.m. Friday, according to Scheetz.

The demobilization of some of Johnson County's flood response was prompted by more good news out of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday. Even with the National weather Service forecasting 1/3 to 3/4 of an inch of rain in the next 24 hours, the water elevation at Coralville Lake is expected to reach its peak of 708.67 feet on Thursday.

Inflow to the reservoir stood at 24,000 cubic feet per second on Tuesday, down from about 30,000 cfs on Monday, according to Dee Goldman, operations manager with the Corps. The outflow was at 18,400 cfs on Monday, with an expected lake elevation of 708.59 by Monday night.

The Iowa River in Iowa City was expected to crest at 25.1 feet on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. The Iowa River in Iowa City was up to 19,900 cubic feet per second on Tuesday, Public Works Director Rick Fosse said. The amount was more than at Coralville lake, because Clear and Rapid creeks merge with the river closer to Iowa City.  The Corps said it will keep the Coralville Dam gates fully open until June 12, at which time it will begin reducing the outflow to limit the drop of the Coralville Lake elevation to one foot a day.

Use of the river south of Coralville Lake – in Iowa City, for example – still is prohibited, according to the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. Boaters and other types of recreation still are allowed on the Coralville Reservoir, although officials warn about debris, creating hazardous conditions.

In Iowa City, officials are watching closely Rocky Shore Drive, Iowa Avenue by the railroad underpass, and the Riverside Drive intersection with River Street for the possibility of flooding. The city is moving towards opening Dubuque Street by the second half of this month, officials said.

“It's shaping up to be the third-worst flood of record for Iowa City,” Fosse said.

Johnson County still has mandatory evacuation orders in effect for four communities, and numerous road closures. Those can be found at www.johnson-county.com.

Iowa City has created a web page to keep citizens updated on flood-related information at http://www.icgov.org/flood.

After the disaster call center suspends operations Friday, individuals can contact the United Way regional call center by dialing 2-1-1 or 866-469-2211 after hours. Residents also can reach the United Way office at 319-337-8657 during regular business hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.