Floodplains and Flood Plans
A study of flooding in Ames, and what plans are in place to mitigate future events.
In 2008, Ames, alongside much of Iowa, was hit by a devastating round of flooding. According to the Iowa State Daily, these floods would rival the intensity of the 1993 Mississippi flood, which was dubbed the fourth worst natural disaster in American history. Luckily for Ames, however, the city was spared a good deal of damage, totaling only about $250,000 in expenses for cleanup and repair. While that sounds like a lot, it's a meager sum when compared to Cedar Rapids, which faced almost $3 billion in damages. This flood, though, if you're one for superstition, forecast something much more costly for the city.
Flooding of Lincoln Way, 2008
And that event came. Just two years later, Ames was smacked with another flood after three nights of torrential rain. Consequently, this one was quite a bit more devastating. Iowa State Daily reported the total damages to be $42 million, 168 times more costly than 2008.
Graph documenting flooding of the South Skunk River from August 11-16, 2010
The thing is, these events could have been mitigated. According to an article by Iowa State Daily from 2011, just a year following the most recent flood, there were plans to construct a detention lake northward along the Skunk River dating back even to the 1930s. These plans, however, never took off for a variety of reasons. These plans still exist, and are detailed within the Flood Mitigation Study.
Local Ames map consisting of 2 ft. contours, as well as zoned areas of flooding.
The map above visual explains the reasoning of placements of parks and their relationship to contours. Most parks are in Ames are based in the most predictable flood zones. There is also a division seen in the 2 foot contours. Squaw creek acts as a divider between the Iowa State campus and residential area, unlike the west side of campus where residential are borders it.
As these plans are, none of them have really been enacted in full. However, there are various, more vernacular works that deal with the flooding around the city that seem to fall in line with these plans. They involve the locations of Iowa State University's ISU Center and Lied Recreation Center, the Ames Parks System, Stuart-Smith Park, and South Duff.
Sites of various vernacular Anti-flooding methods.
Swipe Map between 1930s Orthomap and a modern Satellite Image
In the swipe map above, you can notice the difference in the use of the land between then and now. For example, the development referenced in the Tour map above within Stuart-Smith Park exists within the 1930s map, but is gone in the modern map. Additionally, Iowa State Center used to be entirely farmland, the same going for the businesses and apartments along South Duff.
In conclusion, Squaw Creek and the Skunk River both create ecological systems that prove as significant challenges to the development of Ames. That being said, these challenges have been tackled in numerous ways, and each way proves just as interesting as the others, be it using park systems as flood basins or just deciding to foot the bill on costs. The effect on the landscapes of Ames that these rivers have had is inescapable and immeasurably fascinating, and it will be equally fascinating to see what solutions are developed for future events, hopefully to prevent catastrophes like the 2010 floods.
Notes:
Ferguson, Kyle. "Ames recovers from floods of 2008." Iowa State Daily, June 8, 2009. https://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/ames-recovers-from-floods-of-2008/article_c53d16e0-09e6-5a1a-b755-fa94ac7157c8.html.
Kingkade, Tyler. "Former Iowa Congressman says Ames would not have flooded if reservoir had been built." Iowa State Daily, February 8, 2011. https://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/former-iowa-congressman-says-ames-would-not-have-flooded-if-reservoir-had-been-built/article_3d22244c-d71d-11df-8913-001cc4c03286.html.
Haas, Sarah. "Effects of 2010 Ames flood linger." Iowa State Daily, January 15, 2011. https://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/effects-of-2010-ames-flood-linger/article_8c1d9ce8-daec-11df-874c-001cc4c002e0.html.
Gilbert, Megan. "A look back at the 2010 flood of Hilton and lessons learned." Iowa State Daily, January 16, 2018. https://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/a-look-back-at-the-2010-flood-of-hilton-and-lessons-learned/article_1912700e-f8a6-11e7-b99b-7f1fbda1b5b6.html.
Theobald, Ben. "Ames after 2010 flood: recovery and prevention." Iowa State Daily, August 23, 2011. https://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/ames-after-2010-flood-recovery-and-prevention/article_97c3ab02-cc1b-11e0-aaa3-001cc4c03286.html.
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/cm-water/science/iowa-flood-information?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
Barnes, K.K., and Eash, D.A., 2012, Flood of August 11–16, 2010, in the South Skunk River Basin, central and southeast Iowa: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1202, 27 p. with appendix.
https://www.fpm.iastate.edu/maps/buildings/default.asp
