Mississippi River to bring major flooding to Eastern Iowa

A quarter-mile stretch of road in Camanche — north of the Quad Cities — is underwater. A boat ramp, pier and parking lot are also submerged, and more street closures are expected. A few thousand sandbags have been distributed in preparation of the Mississippi River displaying its destructive power once again.

Early next week, the river is projected to crest at 23.1 feet in Camanche — a top three water level mark for the city and the same peak in the 2019 floods.

Unlike the 2019 floods, however, the waterway isn’t rising gradually. The Mississippi River has crept up three feet in the past five days, said Camanche city administrator Andrew Kida. It’s the fastest he’s seen water levels rise. That, coupled with the rapid flow, could spell danger for vulnerable river communities.

“This isn't the first time around for flooding for us. We're as prepared as we can be,” Kida said. “There comes a point, though, where all the preparation in the world isn’t going to stop the river.”

The National Weather Service’s Quad Cities bureau has been tracking precipitation, temperatures and snowpacks for months in anticipation of potential flooding. In its latest briefing, senior service hydrologist Matt Wilson warned of “worst-case scenario” conditions due to above normal temperatures and precipitation and melting northern snowpacks.

Those forecasts are coming to a head in Eastern Iowa, where the bureau is anticipating major and moderate flooding along the Mississippi River from Lansing to Burlington. The river is expected to crest in upstream areas as soon as this weekend. Water levels may surpass some of the top three record crests for locations like Dubuque and Bellevue.

On Monday afternoon, Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Allamakee, Clayton, Clinton, Des Moines, Dubuque, Jackson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott counties. The action lets state resources be utilized for response and recovery from flood impacts.

In Guttenberg in northeast Iowa, a boat ramp, marina and road are underwater. Abel Island — a residential community surrounded by the Mississippi River and a lake — is already experiencing flooding. River levels reached nearly 20 feet by Monday afternoon and are projected to peak at 21.1 feet around Saturday.

The rest of the town is faring well so far, thanks to its levee, said city manager Denise Schneider.

“In the flood of ‘65, there wasn't a levee. The levee was put in in early ‘70s,” she said. “That's kind of our saving grace, and our flood pump.”

Other city officials across the region, though preparing for the worst, are optimistic that their flood infrastructure will protect residents and properties from the brunt of the anticipated high water levels.

Dubuque, for instance, has a series of gates, pumps, flood walls and levees that form a protective flood control system, said public works director John Klostermann. Thirteen of the system’s 17 gates have already been closed. The rest should shut by the end of the week — the third time all the flood gates have closed since the flood control system was completed in 1973.

Similarly, most of Clinton has been protected by a levee system, pumps and gates since the 1970s. The city has piled sandbags for its marina that falls outside of the levees’ protection, said city administrator Matt Brooke.

“Overall, our citizens are protected because of this wonderful levee,” Brooke said. “We're grateful to have it.”

High water levels in the Mississippi River back up tributaries that lead into it, including some in Clinton that are already filling up. Officials are monitoring those areas, Brooke said.

Brittney J. Miller is the Energy & Environment Reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com