MUSCATINE, Iowa — The city of Muscatine, businesses and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are working together to improve the Muscatine Island levee.
The $9 million project is aimed at protecting businesses, infrastructure and homes in the area.
The project's history and need
Local businesses including KENT Corporation and MidAmerican Energy are part of a Muscatine Island Levee Coalition, which has considered upgrades to the levee since 2013.
"It all started back in 2013, when city and the Corps of Engineers put together a study of what it would look like as far as if a levee breach were to occur in this area," Rich Dwyer said, who is the senior VP of corporate affairs and enterprise risk at KENT Corporation.
The permanent levee, which is built into the ground and made of sand, gravel and other materials, is over 14 miles long and has held fine against the flooding in 2023.
Companies operating in the area, however, are worried about the dangers of a more catastrophic flood.
"When the water overtops the levee, it's going to explode the levee to where basically you got a big gaping hole," Dwyer said.
Such a breach would affect close to 4,000 workers and make it difficult to access facilities without cleanup, according to Dwyer.
"If that levee was to burst open, how do we plug it and get all the water pumped back over? And that could take months if not a year or more," he said.
Dwyer added that it's not just companies that would be at risk.
"Our water aquifer is protected by this levee, our water treatment facility for the city of Muscatine is protected, and we got two power facilities that are protected," he said.
The plan
Planners are looking at two major improvements, based on feedback from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The first is raising the levee by 1 foot along a three-mile stretch, which would cost $7 million.
Dwyer explained that normally, the material would have to be sourced by dredging the river, which can be troublesome.
"It's the cheapest route because you just pump it on. But the problem is that if there are zebra mussels or anything else, you're gonna have to move them someplace else," he said. (Zebra mussels are an endangered species, which is why relocating them would be required.)
Organizers, however, have a convenient solution for this. Dywer said that Muscatine County plans on widening ponds at Deep Lakes Park, which means they can use the dug-up sand from there.
The second is adding a $2 million hardening structure downstream, at a bend near a pump house.
"The engineers refer to it almost like AstroTurf type, but it's really solid material that won't erode or be worn out by heavy running of water," Dwyer explained.
The structure would cover the water side of the levee and all across it, protecting it from breaching. The water would go over it, but flood the land much slower, giving the companies and city workers more time to react.
Dwyer added that placing the reinforcement near the pump house is strategic.
"The water can flow to that pump house — it'd be pumped back over into the river, so it's kind of a natural cycle at that point," he said.
The path forward
The funding is already secured through the U.S. Economic Development Administration and Muscatine County.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking for community feedback until May 17, 2023. Information on how to submit that feedback is available here.
After that, the Corps of Engineers will decide on whether to approve the project or not. It's unclear how long that would take, but if approved, planners hope to begin construction by Fall 2023.
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