Flood Mitigation Efforts in Iowa

After the flood of 2008 many towns in Iowa decided to try different flood mitigation efforts to help save their towns. Some built earthen berms while others used different methods. While these various methods do an effective job of preserving things for the human inhabitants of Iowa towns, we often forget to consider how they affect the land, animals, and plants in the area now being flooded.

Possible Guiding, Compelling and/or Anchoring Questions

• What is the cost of changing rivers and streams to accommodate humans?
• How have humans changed landscapes?
• Where will the water go if not into the town?
• Where does rainwater go?

Classroom Suggestions

• There are many waterways in Iowa that flood from time to time. What happens or has happened when humans move those waters to help themselves? Look at local waterways or how farming has changed the landscape and watershed. 
• Explore what happens to rainwater in your area by doing comparisons after a small rainfall and a hard rain fall. 
• Connect with MS-ETS1-2 (Evaluate competing design solutions and evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem) and make this an engineering design problem. How might the students design a solution to the problem of flooding?

Related Resources

• The Courier -- As rivers swelled across Iowa in 2008, New Hartford was among the first cities inundated: Article about changes made in New Hartford, Iowa, after the flood of 2008 and how those changes helped with high water in 2012.
• Iowa State GIS Geographic Map Survey: Map showing many of Iowa’s waterways and watersheds. 
• Iowa Flood Risk Management Maps: Maps showing areas that are at risk of flood in Iowa.
• Iowa Water Quality Information System: The IWQIS allows access to real-time water-quality data and information such as nitrate, pH values, dissolved oxygen concentrations, discharge rates, and temperature.