Learning from the Floods of 2008: Practical Strategies for Resilience
Date: Monday, December 8th, 2008 
Location: Ames, Iowa
This day-long workshop was sponsored by the Leopold Center and the Center for Energy and Environmental education at the University of Northern Iowa. Ninety percent of U.S. federal disaster aid goes to the 7 percent of land that is in floodplains. Flooding in the summer of 2008 displaced 4,000 Iowans, damaged thousands of homes and caused destruction expected to cost more than $7 billion.
While Iowa recovers from the 2008 events, experts tell us that weather and flood patterns of the past are no longer reliable indicators of the future. How can Iowans prepare to lessen the impact of future floods? Some of the solutions are clear:
- Work across political boundaries and within watersheds
- Restore the natural functions of soil to hold and infiltrate water
- Respect floodplain boundaries and land uses
- Take advantage of existing mitigation programs
- Use long-term leases and conservation easements
- Minimize the amount of bare and hard-surfaced ground
Summaries of each session
These summaries are from the Winter 2008 Leopold Letter.
- Flood Realities - Sessions by Mary Skopec, Iowa DNR, Jim Donley, FEMA, and Richard Sims, State Conservationist. Moderated by Bill Simpkins, ISU Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences.
- Farming Systems - Sessions by Francis Thicke, grass-based organic dairy farmer, Richard Cruse, Iowa Water Center, and Rick Juchems, crop/livestock farmer. Moderated by Jerry DeWitt, Leopold Center.
- Urban Systems - Sessions by Wayne Peterson, IDALS, Regenia Bailey, Iowa City mayor, and Jeff Davidson, Iowa City Planning and Community Development. Moderated by Kamyard Enshayan, Center for Energy and Environmental Education.
- River Systems - Sessions by Keith Schilling, Iowa Geological Survey, Mark Ackelson, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, and Tim Isenhart, ISU Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management. Moderated by Susan Heathcote, Iowa Environmental Council.
Workshop news
Flood workshop overview - Winter 2008 Leopold Letter
Jerry DeWitt: Why was the flood workshop important? - Winter 2008 Leopold Letter
Jerry DeWitt: A firsthand look at Iowa floods - Summer 2008 Leopold Letter
Photo gallery: Listening to the land
Poster: Raising the Standard: An Interagency Approach to Manage our Flood Waters
Workshop materials
Learning from the floods of 2008: Practical strategies for resilience - A four-page fact sheet with lessons, actions and strategies developed from the workshop
Keynote presentation - Slides presented by Jerry Skalak, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Flood realities session - Slides presented by Mary Skopec, Jim Donley, and Richard Sims
Farming systems session - Slides presented by Francis Thicke, Richard Cruse and Rick Juchems
Urban systems session - Slides presented by Wayne Peterson, Regenia Bailey, and Jeff Davidson
River systems session - Slides presented by Keith Schilling, Mark Ackelson, and Tim Isenhart
Summary slides - Lessons learned, action steps and gaps in knowledge
Rebuild Iowa reports
120-Day Report of Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commision [PDF] - November 17, 2008
Unified Task Force Report [PDF] - October 2008
- Agriculture and Environment Task Force
- Cultural Heritage and Records Retention Task Force
- Economic and Workforce Development Task Force
- Education Task Force
- Flood Plain Management and Hazard Mitigation Task Force
- Housing Task Force
- Infrastructure and Transportation Task Force
- Long Term Recovery Planning Task Force
- Public Health and Health Care Task Force
Agriculture and Environment Task Force Report [PDF] - August 2008
Supplemental Information to the August 2008 Agriculture and Environment Task Force Report [PDF] - Slides providing mroe details and scientific data reviewed by the group.
Extra readings from the speakers
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back on U.S. Floodplains [PDF] - Science magazine. April 8, 2005
Managing Floods of the Future: Insights from the November 12-13 Workshops [PDF] - A brief summary of insights from the Iowa City/Cedar Falls floodplain management workshops, by Kamyar Enshayan. November 2008
The Great Flood of 1993 on the Upper Mississippi River - 10 Years Later [PDF] An illustrated four-page overview of the U.S. Geological Service perspective on the 1993 Iowa flood and the federal response in the 10 years following. Argues for real time streamflow gauging stations as a necessary tool. May 2004
Manage Land to Manage Floods [PDF] - In this article in INHF magazine, Duane Sand, public policy director for the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, lays out an argument for land and water management, based on the recent floods and the lessons learned from the 1993 floods. Summer 2008
Levy District 8 Case Study [PDF] - This case study describes how a public/private partnership transformed the flood- damaged 'levee district 8' (Louisa County, Iowa) into the Horseshoe Bend Division of the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge. October 1995
Pollution Solutions: Preventing Ag Run-Off [PDF] - In this Fall 2008 brief from the Iowa Environmental Council Quarterly newsletter, Craig Cox, Midwest Vice- President of the Environmental Working Group, offers some solutions for dealing with the agricultural runoff that is causing environmental problems both in Iowa waters and as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. Fall 2008
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture |
Ames, Iowa 50011 |
(515) 294-3711 |
leocenter@iastate.edu