C.R. wasting time, money since Indian Creek flood

By Marv Rops

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As a consulting engineer, I designed and managed projects for several decades, mostly for Iowa cities and towns. That experience causes me to believe that this city's government undertakes projects that are “not its job” and does not get jobs done that are its sole responsibility.

In the Sun Valley addition, it is now almost 9 1/2 years since the 2002 Indian Creek flood. The city has wasted time and money with nothing of value produced toward flood protection. The engineering department has force-fed us five inept designs that it eventually realized needed to be canceled.

The first design was completed, advertised, bid and significantly redesigned, but was still so incomplete that it was canceled just before starting construction. Those designs were followed by three tiger dam designs. All were canceled after the city finally realized that tiger dams were inappropriate.

A well-managed government would know about and correct these problems, but this one isn't and doesn't. Efforts to communicate with city government get no response. The process feels like being robbed.

For more than 30 years, the city has not been able to prevent simple storm sewer backup flooding in this area. How many years and flooding events does it take before the city learns how to prevent this?

The city spent $120,000 ($4,000 per household) to hire a consulting engineer. We are now more than a year into that hydraulic study/flood protection project, but have seen only indecision. At two city-sponsored open house meetings, no design detail was presented, no oral or written presentation. It was like a scrimmage with no ball or coach present.

The interim conclusion of the hydraulic study: Wait for the Corps' hydraulic study to be completed late in 2013 and wait on any flood prevention construction until the repair/replacement of the existing Indian Creek interceptor sewer has been started.

The City Council's perception and the reality of this project are far apart.

The neighborhood petitioned the city 20 years ago for some storm sewer and intakes. This latest study recommends the same, but is unable to conclude how deep they should be constructed. It concludes that they should be deep enough that they can be extended in the future, if necessary. The neighborhood is fully developed and there is no reason for this $120,000 study to not determine now what is needed rather than put off the decision to still another expensive study.

This whole process needs to be daylighted and audited with accounting for wasted funds and time.

Marv Rops of Cedar Rapids is a retired consulting civil engineer. Comments: (319) 362-4695