State must lead watershed management

Iowa is getting federal money from a new program to help farmers better manage runoff. Four Iowa watersheds, including the upper Cedar River and Maquoketa River, are targeted.

The federal attention to watershed management is welcome. However, it's a relative drop in the bucket compared to the big-picture need. It will take an ongoing effort by state leaders to forge major progress in reducing flooding and improving water quality.

The federal program announced in late November by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, former Iowa governor, provides $320 million over four years to Iowa and 11 other states bordering the Mississippi River. The objective is to prevent soil erosion and curb runoff of nitrogen and phosphorous into streams, which is blamed for the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone.

The program will include planting of vegetation buffers and establishing wetlands - building on standard federal conservation programs. The project's scale, however, is not large enough to reduce flooding much.

So while the federal assistance is welcome, it's still largely up to state leaders to push ahead on watershed management strategies.

The Legislature this year established the Water Resources Coordinating Council as part of its efforts to address post-2008 flood issues. The council has made recommendations to legislators that warrant attention during the 2010 session.

We think one proposal, to base future flood-plain management on the 500-year flood plain, makes sense. As the floods of 2008 and 1993 so painfully demonstrated, it is simply unwise and economically disastrous to keep building near rivers and streams. And just this week, an Iowa State University study warned that climate change will make flooding even more likely over the next several decades.

Legislation to limit or prohibit new residential and commercial development in 100-year flood plains should be a priority. But that won't address existing flood threats.

State Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, who chairs the Senate Rebuild Iowa Committee, insists that other action on flood control must move ahead during the 2010 legislative session. We agree with his urgency and reasoning that momentum must not be lost.

The difficult questions are: What can be done as soon as possible, what would it cost and how can the state afford to fund new measures if substantial costs are attached as legislators deal with one of the most severe budget crises in state history?

The Water Resources Coordinating Council's $35 million proposal for a demonstration project warrants consideration. State legislators should also ask for strategies that bring together landowners, local government officials and state experts to develop regional solutions that don't necessarily require new funding streams.