Cedar Rapids Flood Control System

Cedar Rapids Flood Control Vision Comes to Life

When the Cedar River crested more than 11 feet higher than any flood in recorded history, the devastation was heartbreaking. Water covered 10 square miles of our city and the damage resulted in more than $5.4 billion in losses.

Yet only four days after a historic disaster, Cedar Rapids City Council met to set flood recovery goals and start our city on the path to long-term, permanent flood control. That commitment to resiliency, re-building, and protection has been a theme woven into the nearly 13-year story of our flood recovery journey. Over the years, we have seen this resiliency play out in our dogged, determined visits to Washington DC to request federal funding for our community, which came to a culmination in July 2018 when we were awarded $117 million in federal funding for our Flood Control System. Our resiliency can also be seen in the local commitment to fund protection for both sides of the river, and securing the financial planning necessary to bring that commitment to reality.

Resiliency is found not only in floodwalls, but in neighborhood memorials that tell our story. It’s found in amenities such as trails and river walk views that turn an engineering system into a unique part of the City of Five Seasons — one that supports vibrant neighborhoods and continues to attract new development opportunities.

Our flood control system is more than walls and earth levees. It’s our history. Our memories. Our story. Cedar Rapids is known as a river town — and our system will be built to celebrate and give access to the river, integrating our community’s history and culture.

I invite you to read through this issue to learn more about the components, details, and funding of this important project as we continue our work to protect and build a strong and vibrant city for today and years to come.

Jeffrey Pomeranz

Cedar Rapids City Manager

Sinclair Levee