Des Moines' historic floods prompt over $150 million in prevention projects
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Floods in 1993 damaged large sections of the metro, including downtown Des Moines. Photo: Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma via Getty Images
Des Moines is more flood resilient than just a few years ago, public works director Jonathan Gano told the City Council during a presentation last month.
Why it matters: Homes and businesses are better protected against floods, which have caused billions of dollars in damages and multiple deaths caused in recent decades.
Driving the news: Flood insurance will no longer be required for about 170 homeowners in the Highland Park neighborhood once a $20.5 million storm system project is completed next year.
- That can save owners upwards of $1,400 annually, Patrick Beane, DSM's clean water administrator, tells Axios.
Catch up fast: The city tripled the rate of stormwater projects for flood mitigation after more than 1,800 homes were damaged in 2018.
- Multiple phases of projects in Beaverdale, Easter Lake and near the Iowa State Fairgrounds are now complete.
- Polk County also expanded its flood prevention efforts and incentivized a land buffer program in farm areas.
Follow the money: DSM's initiatives cost more than $150 million over a six-year period.
- Sewer rate increases, local option sales tax allocations and federal grants helped cover costs.
Reality check: Floods remain a concern.
- Some commonly used measures used to predict risks have not kept pace with climate change, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.
What's next: More than $100 million in additional levee improvements and stormwater projects are in DSM's five-year budget.
