Crest predictions for area rivers lowered due to dry weekend

Given continued warm, dry weather, parts of Eastern Iowa could beat this week's flooding threat.

“We're very pleased,” Cedar Rapids Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow said Sunday afternoon. “River crest levels aren't even as high as we thought Thursday. The biggest break we got was not as much rain as they predicted.”

Flood warnings remain in effect in many Eastern Iowa counties, but predicted heavy rains failed to fall over Eastern Iowa watersheds, and crest predictions for most rivers have been revised accordingly.

“Most of it ended up falling mainly south of I-80,” said Chris Legro, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Davenport. “We did get the rain, it just wasn't as far northwest, which is good.”

The latest National Weather Service prediction for the Cedar River at Cedar Rapids called for a 15-foot crest Tuesday night through Wednesday night, three feet over flood stage but down a foot from last week's prediction.

At the very least, that saves city taxpayers some money.

“With the forecast being lower and later in the week, we decided not to spend more than $30,000 in overtime in setting barrels and cones,” said Craig Hanson, the city's public works maintenance manager,

Instead of calling in crews over the weekend to place the concrete structures to prevent flooding, Hanson said the work will be done during regular hours Monday and Tuesday. The culvert sections and sandbags were positioned Friday near the manholes and storm-sewer drains they'll be placed over.

Hanson's plans now call for preparing for a 17-foot crest, two feet over what's predicted.

Otis Road SE was closed Sunday morning as the river neared 10 feet.

Downstream, the weather service predicts a Cedar River crest four feet above flood stage Saturday at Conesville.

Elsewhere on the region's rivers Sunday:

-Streams feeding the Iowa River were over their banks near Chelsea in Tama County, and County Road V18 was barricaded south of town. but no flood-related emergencies were reported, a sheriff's dispatcher said.

[nggallery id=143]

-Downstream at Marengo, the Iowa was about four feet over flood stage and is expected to remain near that level all week, keeping some nearby fields underwater. No flooding is predicted for Iowa City.

-The Wapsipinicon River was about three feet above flood at Anamosa and expected to crest early Monday morning.