Preventing future flooding

Over the last year, Iowans put a great deal of effort into recovering from the 2008 floods. The experience has given us plenty of motivation to plan and protect ourselves from future disasters.

Strong flood prevention efforts will result in improved watersheds, increased protection for people and property, and a reduced tax burden for all Iowans in the long run.

This year’s efforts to enhance flood prevention include establishing the Iowa Flood Center. It will develop a statewide network to monitor the potential for flooding and give advance warnings.

To prevent flooding, we must slow down the passage of water through watersheds before it reaches our rivers and streams. That’s why we’ve added flood prevention responsibilities to the Water Resources Coordinating Council. This group of federal, state and local government agencies works with soil and water conservation programs. By working through existing programs, Iowa can better prevent flood damage while improving water quality and reducing soil loss.

Soil conservation structures are important to keeping water on the land and preventing damage to farm fields and others downstream. We appropriated $11.5 million for the repair of existing structures that were damaged last year and additional funding for new structures. These dollars mean more farmers can get funding for their projects.