US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Resiliency Copyright 2014
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 7.
ITEM TITLE: US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Resiliency
Grant Application - Phase I
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval for the submission of a Phase I
application to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development
National Disaster Resilience Competition.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
❑ HUD National Disaster Resilience Competition Application-MVM Memo City Manager Memo
❑ cover memo Staff Memo
❑ grant application Supporting Documentation
THE CITY OF Dubuque
UBE I
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Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007-2012-2013
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: HUD National Disaster Resilience Competition Application
DATE: March 30, 2015
Sustainable Community Coordinator Cori Burbach recommends City Council approval
for the submission of a Phase I application to the US Department of Housing and Urban
Development National Disaster Resilience Competition. The application is submitted by
the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Department of Homeland
Security and Emergency Management. Dubuque would be a subrecipient of the grant.
Iowa's application highlights the need to address remaining impacts from the flooding
experienced in downtown Dubuque and continuing vulnerabilities to future flooding
across the state. Following storms in July 2011, the City of Dubuque received reports of
damage to over 200 homes concentrated in the Bee Branch Creek area. The
application cites property owners with limited resources which hinders their ability to
perform home maintenance and renovations to decrease environmental health and
safety issues from flooding such as dampness and mold growth, electrical hazards, and
structural issues. A comprehensive "Bee Branch Healthy Homes" approach is outlined
to help residents meet unmet structural needs, and engagement and education to
empower individuals to be part of the creation of more resilient housing through onsite
stormwater management principles and sustainable, healthy homes behaviors.
If approved to move on, the City will partner with the Iowa Economic Development
Authority and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
to submit a Phase II application in the summer of 2015. This application will contain a
more detailed program and include a budget proposal.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community Coordinator
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THE CITY OF Dubuque
UBgkE 111 111-America Ci i
I.
Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007-2012-2013
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community Coordinator
SUBJECT: HUD National Disaster Resilience Competition Application
DATE: March 30, 2015
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to submit for Council approval a Phase I application to the
US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) National Disaster Resilience
Competition. The application is submitted by the Iowa Economic Development
Authority (IEDA) and Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency
Management (HSEMD); Dubuque would be a subrecipient of the grant.
BACKGROUND
The City of Dubuque is partnering with IEDA and HSEMD to submit a Phase I
application for the National Disaster Resilience Competition, a program offered by HUD
in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation.
The competition defines a resilient community as able to resist and rapidly recover from
disasters or other shocks with minimal outside assistance. Reducing current and future
risk is essential to the long-term vitality, economic well-being, and security of all
communities. By identifying future risk and vulnerabilities, resilient recovery planning
can maximize preparedness, save lives, and bring benefits to a community long after
recovery projects are complete
The NDRC is a two-phase process that will competitively award nearly $1 billion in HUD
Disaster Recovery funds to eligible communities. All states with counties that
experienced a Presidentially Declared Major Disaster in 2011, 2012 or 2013 are eligible
to submit applications that address unmet needs as well as vulnerabilities to future
extreme events, stresses, threats, hazards, or other shocks in areas that were most
impacted and distressed. The competition is designed to help communities recover from
prior disasters and improve their ability to withstand and recover more quickly from
future disasters. This support will help applicants consider future risks and
vulnerabilities in planning and decision-making, and assist them in applying for HUD
funding.
DISCUSSION
Iowa's application highlights the need to address remaining impacts from the flooding
experienced in downtown Dubuque and continuing vulnerabilities to future flooding
across the state. Following storms in July 2011 , the City of Dubuque received reports of
damage to over 200 homes concentrated in the Bee Branch Creek area. The
application cites property owners with limited resources which hinders their ability to
perform home maintenance and renovations to decrease environmental health and
safety issues from flooding such as dampness and mold growth, electrical hazards, and
structural issues. A comprehensive "Bee Branch Healthy Homes" approach is outlined
to help residents meet unmet structural needs, and engagement and education to
empower individuals to be part of the creation of more resilient housing through onsite
stormwater management principles and sustainable, healthy homes behaviors.
If approved to move on, the City will partner with IEDA and HSEMD to submit a Phase II
application in the summer of 2015. This application will contain a more detailed
program and include a budget proposal.
REQUESTED ACTION
I respectfully request City Council approval of the attached application.
Cc: Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Director
Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Specialist
Deron Muehring, Civil Engineer
Erica Haugen, Assisted Housing Specialist
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Exhibit A
Executive Summary
State of Iowa
From 2011-2013, Iowa received eight Presidential Disaster Declarations, encompassing 73 of Iowa's 99
counties. Hundreds of communities, representing more than 70 percent of the state's geography were impacted.
These disaster events reflect an increase in the frequency and intensity of weather events and leave communities
with depleted resources, while the cost of maintaining critical assets increases.
Through the framing process of this application, the State of Iowa conducted a risk and vulnerability
assessment of the qualified events to determine the most impacted and distressed areas. As demonstrated in
Exhibit B, the following unmet recovery needs (supporting documents found at httns:Hdrive.google.com) were
identified in the most impacted and distressed areas as a result of the eight qualifying disasters: Structural
damage to low-income households housing in Dubuque; eight sub-county areas with damage to public
infrastructure not yet repaired due to inadequate resources; and 35 sub-county areas with environmental
degradation through measured significant loss of topsoil.
Conventional disaster recovery has focused on the repair and replacement of housing and infrastructure.
Traditional hazard mitigation efforts have focused geographically within the immediately impacted areas. While
a level of recovery is achieved and incremental progress is made to mitigate future damage, this approach does
not make communities resilient to future disaster events.
Resiliency to flooding requires a more holistic, watershed and science-based strategy. A watershed-based
approach is unique in that it increases community resiliency through actions that address the contributions to
flood hazards of the entire geography. These land use modifications change the hydrology of watersheds,
resulting in peak water flow reduction. The State of Iowa's project focuses at the macro level on rural watershed
strategies that protect infrastructure and agricultural soils and at the micro level on urban watershed strategies
that increase the resiliency of low-income housing stock. Scientific modeling and design-based, whole
watershed changes will be achieved that are cost-effective and mutually beneficial to communities and
agricultural producers. Watershed stakeholders will be engaged to understand their roles and contribution to
disaster resiliency thereby protecting Iowa's agricultural economic base as well as vital roads, bridges, drainage
infrastructure, private property and critical public facilities. Iowa's analysis of unmet needs found significant
impacts to low-income housing in the City of Dubuque.
The State's proposal also includes urban watershed strategies to protect residents and businesses. Dubuque
is a case study of a community that has been impacted by repeated Presidential Disaster Declarations related to
extreme rain events. While Dubuque is taking proactive measures to address stormwater events and become a
more resilient community, investments in gray infrastructure alone have not addressed unmet needs of the
community's most at-risk neighborhoods, where approximately 69 percent of the residents in flood-prone areas
are at less than 80 percent of the median income. Residents there have received minimal assistance to make
basic repairs following storms that inundated residential and commercial properties. Assistance through a
comprehensive Bee Branch Healthy Homes approach will help residents meet unmet structural needs, and
engagement and education will empower individuals to be part of the creation of more resilient housing through
onsite stormwater management principles and sustainable "healthy home" behaviors. This resident-centered
approach will be coupled with holistic innovative green infrastructure investments that will minimize the impact
of increasingly frequent and severe rain events on the Bee Branch watershed, allowing nature to manage flash
flooding and creating co-benefits like improved public health; increased public and private investment; creation
of more high-quality, cost-effective housing; and improved quality of life for at-risk neighborhoods.
Funding will be utilized to establish and leverage comprehensive, multi-objective planning; demonstrate
long-term stability; and expand relationships among local, state, federal, and private partners. This engagement
will encourage inclusivity among political subdivisions, assess hydrologic conditions and pursue scientifically-
based strategic solutions. Iowa is well positioned and the timing is right for this type of sustained resiliency
effort through the partners identified in AttachmentA: Partner Documentation.
The outcome of a watershed-based approach benefits everyone within the watershed. The State, in
collaboration with its partners, believes that its proposed watershed-based program will reduce peak flows by 30
percent, thereby creating sustainable and resilient conditions that address and anticipate changing climate
conditions in urban and rural watersheds. Reducing peak water flow will also create benefits beyond flood
mitigation. The scientific relationship of reduced peak water flows, soil and nutrient run-off, and overall water
quality is strongly correlated. Finally, these efforts will culminate in a replicable model that reduces peak water
flows, enhances water quality, improves soil health and reduces soil erosion.
Exhibit B
Threshold Requirements
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Appendix G responses
The state of Iowa(State) is an eligible applicant for aid through the National Disaster Resiliency
Grant competition as listed in Appendix B of the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA).
Additionally, all county and sub-county geographies considered for inclusion in this application
are eligible according to Appendix B of the NOFA.
The state of Iowa intends to select eligible activities for implementation of the National Disaster
Resiliency grant as identified in Phase 2 of the application process in accordance with Appendix
A of the NOFA. The activities selected will be evaluated for reasonably expected improvement
on the conditions that contribute to the target area's most impacted and distressed characteristics
with unmet recovery needs. As demonstrated in Exhibit G,the state of Iowa has implemented
permanent measures to address impact and distress not only in the eligible areas for this NOFA,
but in areas across the state. Additionally, the State intends to focus the impacts of the eligible
activities to meet the overall benefit mandate of serving those communities that have 51% or
greater low to moderate income populations. Each selected activity will tie back to the
geography and event that contributed to its status as eligible and most impacted and distressed
with unmet recovery needs. The state of Iowa intends to select activities that best meet national
objectives as established by the CDBG Disaster Recovery program.
Certifications can be found in Attachment C of the application.
Most Impacted and Distressed Threshold
The target area identified as most impacted and distressed is the City of Dubuque as a result of
Severe Storms and Flooding(DR-4018)that occurred in 2011. The area is a sub-county area
within Dubuque County, which was declared Major Disaster Area under the Stafford Act.
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Name ofArea: City ofDubuque
Dubuque exhibits Most Impacted Characteristics and Most Distressed Characteristics, which
affect the ability of the area to recover from Severe Storms and Flooding(DR-4018)that
occurred in 2011, as demonstrated below:
Most Impacted Characteristics
HOUSING—Following the July 2011 storms, the City of Dubuque received reports of damage to
200+homes concentrated in the Bee Branch Creek target area. Impacts included flooded
basements, collapsed foundations, destroyed furnaces and water heaters, and other structural
damages. Substantiating data includes City records of calls to pump flooded homes, as well as
records of calls for volunteer assistance. For Dubuque records supporting the Most Impacted
Characteristics criteria, see Attachment E—City of Dubuque.
Most Distressed Characteristics
HOUSING—Census tracts 1, 4, 5, 6, and 11.2 are in the flood-prone area. Approximately 69%
of the people in the flood-prone area are at less than 80%median income. Substantiating data
includes percentage of low and moderate income information for Census tracts 1, 4, 5, 6, 11.02.
For maps showing the most impacted area, see Attachment E, B-10 CDBG Target Areas 2014—
with Bee Branch. Dubuque routinely spends a significant portion of its CDBG resources in the
area identified for disaster assistance. See Most Distressed Characteristics, Census and ACS
Data, and Summary for Census Bureau data supporting the Most Distressed Characteristics
criteria.
Unmet Recovery Needs Threshold
3
While Dubuque did receive earmarked CDBG Disaster Recovery funds to address the July 2011
storms,the City has Unmet Recovery Needs that have not been addressed by Federal, state, or
other sources, in the area(s) identified in this letter as "most impacted and distressed."
HOUSING—A windshield survey of the impacted Bee Branch Creek area, conducted in October
2014, identified 23 households that still remain damaged as a result of the July 2011 storms. The
addresses of 20 of those households include:
1. 2935 Jackson St 13. 2517 Elm St
2. 351 E 15th St 14. 2007 Kniest St
3. 2119 Elm St 15. 2440 Elm St
4. 2485 White St 16. 911 /913 Garfield Ave
5. 2491 Jackson St 17. 2279 Jackson St
6. 2307 Kaufmann Ave 18. 2422 White St
7. 2845 White St 19. 2477 Jackson St
8. 1654 Manson Rd 20. 2322 Jackson St
9. 2605 Kerper Blvd 21. 2108 Washington St
10. 922 Garfield 22. 2170 Jackson St
11. 762 Cleveland Ave
12. 1560 Wood St
Dubuque also conducted surveys with 10 households in October 2014 to confirm that the
identified damages were a result of the July 2011 storms, and verify that repairs have not been
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made because of a lack of resources from insurance/FEMA/SBA. The results for 9 households
from that survey include:
1. 762 Cleveland Ave —One area of collapsed earth wall has been replaced with concrete
wall and metal hatch partial installed but not secured to stairwell. Furnace igniter only
replaced and not in good condition, should be replaced. Water heater burner was only
cleaned. Exterior damage to siding.
2. 1443 Elm St—Exterior damage to limestone foundation(cracked, misaligned and lacking
mortar in joints).
3. 2440 Elm St—Basement windows lack proper galvanized window well covers.
Basement windows have wood form attached to concrete foundation.
4. 2517 Elm St—Block foundation misaligned at corner with missing mortar in joints.
Basement windows covered with wood. Front concrete stoop deteriorated and pitched
back against foundation.
5. 922 Garfield—Home vacated by original owners. New owner made some structural
repairs but rear addition is still undermined and has structural damage.
6. 2605 Kerper Blvd—Misaligned block foundation. Front concrete stoop and exterior
concrete cellar stairs are undermined.
7. 2007 Kniest St— Settling of foundation visible on brick exterior. Holes in limestone
foundation. Window well filled in with dirt. Building exterior is in deteriorated
condition.
8. 2845 White St—Limestone foundation has missing mortar in joints. Rear block
foundation is leaning outward indicating settling of foundation.
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9. 1560 Wood St—Damage to siding from removal of wood stairs and deck to side entrance
door that has not been replaced. Cracked and undermined concrete sidewalks.
Substantiating data includes the reports of the windshield survey and responses from surveyed
households. See 2014 Housing Survev of Bee Branch Creek Area for City records supporting
the Unmet Recovery Needs Threshold criteria.
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Exhibit C
Capacity Factor
State of Iowa
1 l P a g e
A. General Management Capacity
The State of Iowa's Department of Economic Development (IEDA) will act as the grantee. IEDA has
managed the State CDBG Program since the 1980s, and successfully administered nearly $1 billion in 2008
CDBG-DR funding. IEDA will be supported in managing HUD funding by the Iowa Homeland Security and
Emergency Management Department (HSEMD) and the City of Dubuque. IEDA has in place policies and
procedures which are annually monitored by HUD for compliance with overall grant/project management, and
has established systems related to the procurement of contractors and professional services, quality assurance,
financial management, project monitoring, reporting, and other federal requirements specific to CDBG-DR
grants.
IEDA works with multiple organizations in reducing flood-risk in urban and rural settings. IEDA
coordinates with HSEMD on disaster recovery and hazard mitigation activities. HSEMD manages multiple
technical partners and funding streams in the implementation of large-scale disaster recovery and hazard
mitigation projects. Within the disaster recovery framework, HSEMD assigns roles and responsibilities with the
understanding that procedures will be put in place to operate across agency boundaries. These mechanisms
reinforce agency accountability through monitoring and reporting. For example, the State Hazard Mitigation
team, coordinated by HSEMD, has functioned under Iowa Administrative Code chapter 29C for more than 20
years with federal, state, local, and private partners to plan for, develop and implement sustainable mitigation
practices and projects.
IEDA also partners with the City of Dubuque as an entitlement community in disaster recovery. Through its
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), the City is working collaboratively across service providers and
silos of funding to remove barriers to create healthier homes and livable communities. GHHI focuses on
improving low-income neighborhoods with significant pre-1940 properties, resulting in poor indoor air quality,
mold, and energy efficiency issues.
HSEMD prepared the application in coordination with IEDA, City of Dubuque, Iowa Flood Center at the
University of Iowa, Iowa Water Center at Iowa State University, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and
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Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS).
B. Cross-disciplinary Technical Capacity
The State of Iowa will utilize several agencies' technical capacity for project scoping and implementation.
HSEMD will be responsible for coordinating and implementing statewide watershed activities. HSEMD is the
lead agency for mitigating the impacts of hazards, and recovering from disasters that impact Iowa HSEMD
oversees all FEMA grant management and administrative activities. HSEMD has dedicated staff that will work
directly with communities across the impacted region to implement best management practices and engineered
solutions for runoff water retention. The DNR is responsible for state and federal laws that protect air, land and
water through technical assistance, permitting and compliance programs. As the state water regulatory agency,
DNR uses a science-based approach to analyze and implement improvements on Iowa's lakes through
partnerships and identifies and assists private landowners to improve watersheds. IDALS is responsible for state
leadership in the protection and management of soil, water and mineral resources, as well as assisting soil and
water conservation districts and private landowners to meet their agricultural and environmental protection
needs.
Iowa Flood Center (IFC) at the University of Iowa was established in 2009 with the goal of improving flood
monitoring and prediction capabilities in Iowa, and has since developed a flood forecasting system for 1,000
communities. IFC staff has expertise in developing small- and large-scale computational mathematic models to
understand hydrology within watersheds. IFC also has unique expertise in monitoring and instrumentation. IFC
has deployed, in partnership with HSEMD, watershed coordinators and community leaders, over 200 low-cost
stream-stage sensors to monitor river and stream levels to enhance early warning systems for flooding. IFC is
experienced in deploying water quality, precipitation, groundwater, and soil moisture instrumentation to
understand and quantify the impact of best management practices.
Watershed Management Authorities (WMAs) are created by an intergovernmental agreement among
multiple local governments within one watershed. WMAs bring stakeholders together to compile multi-faceted
solutions to flooding and water quality concerns across watersheds and between jurisdictions. There are 11
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WMAs operating across Iowa within specific 8-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC) watersheds. The Iowa Water
Center at Iowa State University has substantial expertise regarding agricultural management and conservation
practices, agro-ecosystem modeling, GIS, remote sensing, development and implementation of custom
computer algorithms, and big data management, and has access to outreach and communication resources
The City of Dubuque will support implementation of model neighborhood-scale activities that protect low-
income housing from flooding. Dubuque is a full-service municipality responsible for inspection of building
construction, civil engineering, economic development, stormwater management, health services and
programming, housing and community development, neighborhood outreach and community engagement,
zoning, and sustainability and resiliency planning and implementation.
A multi-discipline program management team will be established to provide input in addressing unmet
recovery needs and assisting communities in redefining their issues outside normal thought boundaries,
reaching solutions based on a new understanding of a complex situation.
All project partners have a wealth of experience conducting multi-disciplinary work. HSEMD works with
multiple entities during the disaster recovery process that contribute to a community's recovery with their own
resources and skill sets. As the coordinating entity in recovery, HSEMD is able to communicate with and
strengthen relationships among these entities to achieve recovery objectives. The DNR engages state and
federal agencies, soil and water conservation districts, Iowa State University, industry and agricultural
organizations, local governments, recreation and sporting organizations, and agricultural groups to implement
the state's watershed programs. IDALS works with watershed-based programs and projects and has worked
collaboratively with DNR in watershed efforts for more than 25 years.
With nationally-recognized expertise in water resources, IFC has developed multiple partnerships to tie
science and engineering analysis to real-world impacts in communities. This includes partnerships with federal,
state and local governments, producer groups, private businesses, and non-profits, as well as other academic
partners. Iowa Water Center staff brings together agronomists, agricultural engineers, geographers, and data
scientists to leverage the expertise of all team members for optimized project performance.
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WMAs convene cities, counties, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and other stakeholders to
cooperatively engage in watershed planning and management. Over $1.7 million in competitive grants have
been awarded to WMAs. These funds were used to develop comprehensive watershed management plans.
Implementation of the Bee Branch Healthy Homes Resiliency Plan is supported by a multi-disciplinary team
drawn from Dubuque's Housing & Community Development, Engineering, Health Services, Planning Services,
and Building Services departments, as well as the Neighborhood Development, Sustainability, and City
Manager's Offices.
In the State of Iowa, HSEMD facilitates emergency management planning in six regional planning districts.
HSEMD also led a statewide effort in 2013 to assess resiliency vulnerabilities and gaps, and developed and is
implementing the comprehensive Iowa Strategy for Homeland Security and Emergency Management 2015-
2017 to help communities prepare for natural and man-made hazards. The DNR and the WMAs develop
comprehensive, multi-objective watershed plans to assess flood risk, develop strategies to improve water
quality, educate residents on watershed management, and coordinate stakeholder engagement while securing
funding to implement projects. The Iowa Water Center has designed a statewide framework for data collection
and workflow for data analysis. This procedure was originally implemented more than a decade ago, and is
being rewritten with data of improved quantity and quality. IFC regularly works with IEDA to implement
projects and practices that provide protection against future floods. Their work is critical to Iowa's economic
and environmental recovery and resilience in future disasters. The implementation of project activities will be
assisted by the IFC's existing resources and vast experience in large-project management within HUC-8
watersheds.
Dubuque adopted a Comprehensive Plan in 1995, which has been updated through community engagement
processes in 2002 and 2008. The City was an active participant in creating the Dubuque County Regional
Comprehensive Plan, which involved six other cities and played a leading role in developing the Catfish Creek
Watershed Management Plan. Dubuque was selected in March 2015 to receive EPA Brownfields Area-Wide
Planning funding for the revitalization of its South Port. Partners bring the following capacities to the project:
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• Data analysis: IFC and the Iowa Water Center will provide data analysis for project site selection, and
deploy monitoring instrumentation to assess the impacts of each project for water quantity and quality. Staff
will actively engage in identifying approaches to address remediation of damage caused by extreme weather
events.
• Public works: The Iowa Association of Counties (ISAC), Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), and
the DNR will coordinate efforts among county supervisors, engineers, and emergency management. The
DNR and DOT will provide technical assistance through permitting, and compliance programming to move
projects forward.
• Affordable housing: Dubuque's Bee Branch Watershed encompasses historic neighborhoods that include
affordable workforce housing. The City's Housing and Community Development Department is adept at
administering CDBG funds to support affordable housing, and is prepared to quickly launch improvements
at the neighborhood-scale that improve the resiliency of low-income residential structures.
• Environmental quality: IDALS and the DNR, through over 20 years of collaboration on watershed projects,
will provide farmers and landowners with financial and technical assistance to install practices that preserve
Iowa's highly productive soil, prevent erosion, and protect critical waterways. The DNR carries out the
regulatory requirements of protecting Iowa's air, land, and water quality.
• Community engagement: In partnership with State agencies, the IFC, the WMAs, the Nature Conservancy,
the Iowa Soybean Association, the Iowa Heritage Foundation, and the Iowa Agricultural Water Alliance
will engage land owners and communities in local conservation practices and provide access to land
protection tools.
• Design: IFC working with the WMAs and DNR as well as other State and federal watershed programs will
design site specific projects that deliver multi-benefit objectives. Progress will be monitored and measurable
for success in peak flow reduction.
• Engineering: ISAC, the DNR, the DOT, and IDALS will work together for engineered solutions. Scientists
and Engineers at IFC and the Iowa Water Center will provide technical support from project scoping to
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implementation.
The IFC, as the nation's only academic center devoted to flood-related science, is engaged in multiple
projects that seek to understand the implications of a changing climate. One such project with the Federal
Highway Administration focuses on the potential climate impacts to Iowa's aging road and bridge
infrastructure, but could be expanded to assess the impact of climate on urban and agricultural land use plans,
railways, utility distribution systems, and additional infrastructure networks.
The Iowa Water Center is also well-positioned to evaluate the effects of climate change on future soil
erosion in Iowa and the Midwest. Currently, it uses daily weather data to calculate and report precipitation,
runoff and soil erosion. If climate projections of sufficient temporal scale are made available, such data could
easily be utilized to predict daily runoff and soil erosion under future climate scenarios. The model could also
be altered in order to assess the effects of different agricultural management practices and the interactions
between climate change and land use change.
Iowa recently updated its analysis of impediments to fair housing in which state data was analyzed for racial
or economic disparities. The State annually contracts with the Civil Rights Commission to conduct education
and outreach, fair housing testing on discrimination, and fair housing filings and closures.
Dubuque's Human Rights Department also has experience working with civil rights and fair housing issues,
including working with data to analyze racial and economic disparities. The City is partnering with 37 partner
organizations across the community in a network called Inclusive Dubuque. That network is in the process of
developing a community-wide equity profile. The profile will report on how racially and ethnically diverse
groups are affected by various systems in the community, including economic opportunity, housing,
neighborhood safety, education, health, transportation, and arts and culture. Action planning to address
disparities will begin later this year.
Excellent program design quality will be achieved through a cross-disciplinary approach within the program
management team. HSEMD, acting as the program lead, will ensure that any potential activities align with the
state's long-term disaster recovery and mitigation goals outlined in the 2013 Enhanced State Hazard Mitigation
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Plan. The identified partners will ensure the technical design quality of the program activities. The IFC,
through highly-detailed mathematical models of each watershed constructed to assess the impacts of each
project, understand the delicate conditions within each watershed, and assess the impacts a changing climate
may have at the watershed scale. The results from implementing practices, monitoring, and modeling the target
watersheds will provide an innovative framework to disaster resiliency that will be expanded and customized
for any watershed in Iowa.
HSEMD is collaborating with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (MRCS) to reach out to recently
retired professional engineers, civil engineering technicians, and soil conservation technicians within the state.
By building and maintaining a list of potential "boots on the ground" contractors, the project will not be slowed
by partnership issues. Monitoring and project implementation will also be enhanced by reaching out to similar
organizations with retired members who may have the time and background to contribute to this effort.
The program management team will determine cost reasonableness based on activity type. Infrastructure
projects will be evaluated through FEMA's benefit cost analysis software. Environmental activities will be
coordinated through the IFC modeling analysis and Iowa State's DEP model. The cost-benefit analysis for the
DEP model has two phases: identification of costs to implement the project, and identification of potential
benefits to partners and stakeholders. This basic approach is valid because implementation cost and potential
benefit can be easily identified. HSEMD project officers have extensive experience using the FEMA BCA
methodology and are recertified through FEMA EMI coursework every two years. IFC and Iowa State's DEP
team are nationally recognized for their work in this field and have the sufficient scientific background to prove
the cost reasonableness.
c. Communitv Engagement
Iowa will demonstrate a sustained commitment to community engagement throughout project activities.
IEDA and HSEMD have an ongoing technical assistance relationship with nearly every community in Iowa.
The establishment of the 2014 Long-Term Recovery Task Force, coordinated by HSEMD, organizes entities to
support long-term recovery from the federal to local level based on the identified needs and vulnerable
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populations. HSEMD participates in the local mitigation planning process to assist with the development and
prioritization of needs and opportunities. HSEMD currently maintains an unmet needs list from this interaction
for future funding opportunities. Through the coordination of local mitigation planning, HSEMD is able to
gather ideas and quickly identify resources that support project design and implementation. Feedback will be
incorporated through the review of current local mitigation plans, comments received at public hearings, and
through coordination with the WMAs. Outreach will be conducted to keep stakeholders engaged as the project
is implemented. This will include local communities and entities directly affected by the proposed activities to
address concerns and questions.
All partners will support community engagement efforts. The IFC is highly engaged with community
members, and will support the project by presenting science in a meaningful and understandable way. The Iowa
Water Center will engage community stakeholders through multiple extension and outreach outlets, including
the Iowa Water Conference, an annual event hosted by the Iowa Water Center. This conference provides a
venue to disseminate information, foster dialogue and receive feedback relative to recent and ongoing project
developments. The City of Dubuque will also support outreach efforts. In 2013, Dubuque hired a Community
Engagement Coordinator who is equipped to implement the organization's community engagement strategy. A
cross-departmental staff team has developed a community engagement model and techniques that will be
implemented in the Bee Branch Healthy Homes Resiliency Plan.
Iowa empowers community leaders through the long-term disaster recovery process. IEDA, HSEMD, DNR,
IDALS and many others partner to provide technical and planning assistance to local communities. These
agencies assist in identifying funding opportunities for project implementation and unmet recovery needs. This
assistance provides community leaders the tools for effective decision making after a hazard event. The Iowa
Soybean Association, The Nature Conservancy, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, and the Iowa
Agricultural Water Alliance utilize their relationships with landowners to coach and encourage local
conservation practices. The IFC in coordination with the WMAs include local decision makers in project
scoping for successful outcomes.
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HSEMD's experience includes providing the strategic direction of the long-term recovery process, which
includes the cycle of preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. HSEMD assists with the identification of
the challenges facing a community in implementing recovery and risk-reduction activities. Best practices are
provided to a broad range of entities engaging in this process. Partners with technical expertise deploy to engage
local leaders during the consultation and implementation phases of a project.
The Iowa Water Center's experience includes relating to diverse community groups and communicating
complex concepts in understandable terms. The Iowa Flood Center, in partnership with the WMAs, also
continuously engages local leaders in watershed management and flood-risk reduction issues in partnership with
HSEMD. The resulting structure is a private-public partnership engaging in long-term recovery at the local
level.
d. Regional or multi-governmental capacity
IEDA and HSEMD work comprehensively through Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) and the state-
funded Flood Mitigation Board to address regional flooding issues. Since the devastating flood events of 1993
and 2008, retrofitting projects for critical facilities and infrastructure, as well as the acquisition and/or relocation
of flood impacted residential and commercial structures are a top priority for the State of Iowa. More than $1.2
billion have been dedicated to these actions.
The City of Dubuque participates in a number of regional initiatives including: Dubuque Metropolitan Area
Long-Range Transportation Plan, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, Dubuque County Regional
Comprehensive Plan, Prosperity Eastern Iowa, Catfish Creek Watershed Management Plan, Dubuque County
Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, and Dubuque County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation
Plan.
Iowa's proposed approach to resiliency requires regional solutions to address unmet recovery needs. The
benefits will reach a larger population and be more cost effective than the stand-alone, infrastructure-based
solutions. From the hazard mitigation planning framework to project design, multiple partners are engaged to
bring the best hydrology modeling forward for stakeholder consideration. Public hearings will be held to discuss
10lPage
the approach and potential solutions to the hazard. Community leaders will engage citizens directly affected by
the effort to provide comments and feedback for consideration. Partners will also utilize best management
practices in their respective fields to design and implement multi-benefit solutions for flood risk reduction.
Partners are already working regionally to address resiliency. Dubuque, for example, participates in a
number of regional initiatives to mitigate future events. Regional strategies include: transportation, economic
development, watershed management, emergency management, and hazard mitigation. Proactive mitigation
planning at the local level can help reduce the cost of disaster response and recovery to property owners and
government by protecting critical community facilities, reducing liability exposure and minimizing overall
community impacts and disruption.
Iowa, in partnership with United Way's 211 programs, facilitates assistance to vulnerable populations during
disaster events. This framework will be utilized to communicate resiliency initiatives in target areas. As the Bee
Branch project progresses, property values are likely to appreciate in the neighborhood. Many of the lower-
income residents are also members of racial minorities and are more likely to rent instead of own their homes.
While Dubuque is undertaking the Bee Branch Creek Restoration Project, it is also implementing asset-
preservation strategies by including rental rehabilitation and homeowner rehabilitation, first time homebuyer
loans programs, and affordable housing strategies to develop and preserve affordable housing to sustain an
economically integrated neighborhood. The City will follow an anti-displacement and relocation strategy that
hinges on maintaining a household's current residence whenever possible but also providing relocation
assistance when necessary. To preserve tenants in private-market rentals, the City's new housing inspection fee
schedule provides incentives for property owners renting to Section 8 voucher holders. The city also provides
rehabilitation loans and tax abatements to landlords in return for maintaining affordability.
HSEMD will form a new multi-agency program management team to design and implement projects that
address unmet recovery needs in the target areas, and refocus resiliency efforts on source identification of the
flood hazard. That relationship between source and impact will be the basis for moving disaster resiliency
forward from the local community to a statewide approach.
11IPage
Exhibit D
Need/ Extent of the Problem
State of Iowa
Unmet recovery needs and the characteristics and location of geographic most impacted and distressed areas.
From 2011-2013, Iowa received eight Presidential disaster declarations, encompassing 73 of Iowa's 99
counties. Hundreds of communities, representing more than 70 percent of the state's geography, were impacted
by severe storms, tornados, straight-line winds, and flooding. These disaster events reflect an increase in the
frequency and intensity of weather events and leave communities with depleted resources, while the cost of
maintaining critical assets increases. Through the framing process of this application, the State of Iowa
conducted a risk and vulnerability assessment specific to the qualified events to determine the most impacted
and distressed areas. From that analysis, unmet recovery needs were identified and used as the basis for
developing Iowa's approach to disaster resiliency.
The State of Iowa is submitting threshold information for the City of Dubuque and 42 sub-county areas.
Through the process of collecting and analyzing the best available data for hundreds of potentially eligible sub-
county areas eligible under these eight disaster events, it is evident that the targeted areas are substantially
negatively impacted because of these events, and are at further risk for greater damage in subsequent events due
to the unmet recovery needs. Additionally, these areas offer the best opportunity for the State of Iowa to begin
to effect change in the disaster resiliency process.
As demonstrated in Exhibit B, the following unmet recovery needs were identified in the most impacted and
distressed areas as a result of the eight qualifying disasters:
• Structural damage to low-income households housing in Dubuque;
• Damage to permanent public infrastructure that has not yet been repaired due to inadequate resources
was found in eight counties, including Lyon, Buena Vista, Pottawattamie, Tama, Benton, Allamakee,
Dubuque and Lee Counties.
• Environmental degradation (significant loss of topsoil) was found in 18 rural counties, including Sioux,
Cherokee, Ida, Clay, Pocahontas, Sao, Marion, Marshall, Tama, Jasper, Poweshiek, Iowa, Buchanan,
Winneshiek, Clinton, Johnson, Cedar, and Delaware Counties.
In Dubuque, more than 200 homes concentrated in the Bee Branch Creek target area (Census tracts 1, 4, 5,
6, and 11.2) reported damage following the July 2011 storms. Approximately 69% of the people in the flood-
prone area are at less than 80%median income. Eight sub-county areas defined as most impacted and distressed
still have significant infrastructure challenges. Unmet infrastructure needs are estimated at $[38,711,633], as
determined by FEMA Project Worksheets and/or Engineering Reports. These costs include the inclusion of
resiliency measures that will protect this infrastructure from future disaster events.
Most Impacted and Distressed
To determine the impact of the qualified events on environmental degradation, soil erosion was used as the
leading indicator. The loss of soil is a significant economic impact to the affected area, and contributes to
downstream effects through increased sedimentation and increased nutrient pollution which leads to
deteriorating conditions downstream of the impacted area. Impacted and distressed rural areas suffered
significant soil erosion and soil loss during the storms and flooding events that far exceeded any established
sustainable annual limit for maintaining soil health and productivity.
The State of Iowa and its partners will assess projects and activities using the following factors:
• Through the hazard mitigation planning process, local communities are engaged in understanding risk
based on historic occurrence intervals. This information will be gathered from a variety of sources,
including the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) and other reporting mechanisms, to determine the
how the threat of future occurrences relates to the proposed resiliency measures.
• More than 70 percent of the state now operates under updated mapping and hydrology. In addition,
parcel data is now readily available for input into HAZUS level 2 modeling, which will provide a
graphic basis for understanding future risk in activity and project selection.
• Climate and other environmental considerations will be included in the rating factors through
collaboration with IFC, DNR, IDALS, and Iowa State University's Iowa Water Center. These
considerations include water quality and quantity impacts of agricultural subsurface drainage as a
percent of change. Consideration will also be given to prioritized watersheds within the nutrient
reduction strategy.
• Lessons learned and best management practices from the Watershed Demonstration Project (HF 2459
and HF 2459) will be applied to proposed projects. This previous experience will help Iowa maximize
soil holding capacity, minimize severe scour erosion and increased sedimentation during floods, manage
runoff in uplands, and mitigate structural and non-structural flood damage.
Once the specific project areas are determined, all partner entities will do an evaluation of the area's
financial and technical resources to add surrounding watershed areas to the project area One potential avenue to
identify these areas includes an analysis of the surrounding area and how their hydrology and risk correlates
with the target area. If there are co-benefits that could be achieved through expansion of the area, a cost-benefit
analysis will be utilized to support the expansion decision.
The State of Iowa, through an analysis of the qualified disaster events, chose to focus on flash and riverine
flooding. Flash and riverine flooding produces harmful urban and rural impacts. hi Dubuque, flood disasters
have repeatedly impacted residents and employees of the businesses within the watershed. Historically, the
Mississippi River flooded Dubuque's low-lying riverfront areas. In 1973, an earthen levee and concrete
floodwall system was completed, and disasters related to the Mississippi River have largely been avoided.
However, Dubuque's recent disaster events are unrelated to the Mississippi River. These disasters were caused
by flash flooding as a result of localized, intense rainstorms. Unlike Mississippi River flooding, flash flooding
occurs with little or no warning, with water levels rising at extremely fast rates.
Across the remaining impacted and distressed sub-county areas, riverine flooding has resulted in both
infrastructure damage and environmental degradation. This threatens rural Iowa's farm economy. Soil erosion
following significant storm and flooding events is occurring at an unprecedented rate, and continued damage to
public infrastructure impairs farmers' ability to efficiently bring food to market.
An analysis of the State of Iowa's historic data related to disaster events overwhelmingly concludes that
flooding is the most significant and costly hazard facing communities. Iowa's mitigation strategy for the last 10
years prioritizes funding to implement activities involving flood risk reduction. Through the implementation of
these projects, it is clear that in addition to mitigating structures in the floodplain, more needs to be done
upstream to arrest water where it initially lands.
Project partners also identify flooding as the paramount disaster threat. Flash flooding in Dubuque's Bee
Branch Watershed has repeatedly posed a clear danger to the lives and livelihood of citizens based on six
Presidential Disaster Declarations between 1999 and 2011. The City commissioned an engineering study in
1998 to look into the nature of the flooding and identify solutions to mitigate or eliminate the flash flooding
experienced in the Bee Branch Watershed. The 2001 Drainage Basin Master Plan outlined improvements
throughout the watershed to mitigate future flash flooding disasters.
Every county in Iowa is covered by one of the 1,660 stream watersheds identified by the United States
Geological Survey's 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC), and as shown by the supporting documentation in
Attachment E, DR-1977 through DR-4135 Most Impacted supporting documentation, the primary determinant
for impacts from flooding is the location in which the rain falls. Therefore, it can be argued that Iowa's entire
population is vulnerable to the risk of flooding dependent on the location of any given rainfall event.
The problem of soil erosion is not limited to extreme rainfall or flooding events, either; soil degradation
occurs during normal rainfall events or through poor land- management practices. Poor soil holds less water and
erodes more quickly than healthy soil. Because of this, the risk for greater damage from flooding is
compounded due to water being delivered more quickly into the watershed.
Flooding will also continue to affect Iowa's urban population. In Dubuque, flood disasters have repeatedly
impacted the 3,190 people who live within the flood prone area, including the Washington, Point and North End
Neighborhoods. These three neighborhoods contain the community's oldest housing and are among those least
able to recover from flood loss and devaluation after such events. The majority of the residents in these
neighborhoods are low-to moderate-income and racially and ethnically diverse compared to the city as a whole.
Extreme flash flooding within the Bee Branch Watershed also has a great impact on public infrastructure, City
services and citizens residing both within and outside the flood impacted area. The financial impact that an
average flood event has on the City of Dubuque is $561,311.
The State of Iowa and its partners identified the unmet recovery needs in the target areas using the
hydrology at work in the area, the topography and composition of soils, transportation infrastructure, economic
activity, recorded precipitation from qualifying events, and the age and composition of housing. This analysis
was conducted in late February 2015, and included data sets from the last four years_
The City of Dubuque's 2001 Drainage Basin Master Plan was used to determine risk at the micro urban
level. That Plan established that there are more than 1,100 properties at risk of flood damage due to flash
flooding. A 2009 FEMA study also identified a flood prone area with 1,373 properties.
All statewide data sets were gathered from partners that employ hydrologists, engineers, soil scientists, and
housing specialists who actively engage in long-term disaster recovery. The City of Dubuque's Drainage Basin
Master Plan was prepared by a professional engineering firm utilizing NOAA and other national climate change
resources. The hydraulic and hydrologic models used in the Plan comply with FEMA and U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers standards.
Agricultural producers risk losing the production value of the soil they work for crop production. As soil
erosion continues to escalate with flooding events, additional chemical fertilizers will need to be applied to
maintain productivity. These additives will be washed off during flooding events into streams and rivers,
affecting water quality for all communities downstream.
Rural communities face costly infrastructure upgrades to meet the challenges of water quantity and water
quality. Most rural communities cannot bare these additional costs and could un-incorporate. Businesses will
also likely shut down and relocate, accelerating the decline of rural Iowa.
In urban communities like Dubuque, continued flash flooding will pose significant risks to people living in
flood prone areas, particularly low-income residents. Accelerated disaster events as a result of climate change
will lead to increased infrastructure costs, economic disruption, displacement, and loss of life.
The risks facing Iowa are serious and growing. Communities across the state are experiencing more frequent
and intense disaster events. In Dubuque alone, historical rain data shows that the community has had three 100-
year storm events, two 50-year storm events, one 25-year storm event, and one 10-year storm event since 1999.
In May 1999 the record rainfall for a 24-hour period was 6.4 inches. That amount was equaled in 2002 and later
surpassed in 2011 when 10.2 inches of rain fell in a 12-hour period. Rain during the months of May and June
2008 totaled 15.7 inches, the highest on record. These trends are expected to continue.
The secondary and tertiary impacts from the identified risks carry serious local and downstream impacts,
and are already present within many areas of the state. Most recently, a lawsuit was filed against the
agriculturally-based counties of Sac, Buena Vista, and Calhoun by Des Moines Waterworks over the excessive
amount of nitrates present in the raw water treated for use in the Des Moines Metropolitan Area Other
communities across the state are grappling with decisions of how to improve their water management systems
to deal with the intensity of water flow and the quality of water flowing downstream. There is not enough public
funding to support this need. A 2005 Report from the Iowa Policy Project cites 139 incorporated communities
and 600 unincorporated communities without sewage service, generating approximately 1.2 billion gallons of
inadequately treated or untreated sewage a year.
Flooding of homes also impacts people's health. Of the 21.8 million people reported to have asthma in the
U.S., approximately 4.6 million cases are estimated to be attributable to dampness and mold exposure in the
home. Asthma causes 2 million emergency room visits, 500,000 hospitalizations and more than $56 billion in
economic costs. In Dubuque, during 2013, 2,385 asthma-related emergency room visits totaled over $868,140.
While the problem of flooding is well known across the state, and the multi-faceted solution of asset
protection and water arrest within the watershed has been identified, it is not yet clear exactly what activities
will provide the most benefit in any given area. The identified target areas all require a level of analysis to
determine which activities will be most beneficial to the overall goal of future hazard risk reduction. This will
most likely be a combination of activities including structural elements, landowner outreach, and constituent
buy-in from landowners.
Statewide, data is not readily available. In urban Dubuque, data is not readily available for private buildings,
improvements, and residences other than City-owned property. Buildings and improvements owned by the City
are adequately insured through commercial insurance and participation in a local government risk pool.
Several factors affect community participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Of the 721
Iowa communities that have been identified by FEMA as having special flood hazard areas (SFHA), 620 or 86
percent are currently participating. Cited reasons communities are not participating include 1)because the
identified SFHA is small and/or do not affect any existing structures, 2) there is no perceived need to do so by
the constituency, 3)the governments feel incapable of complying with NFIP's requirements due to lack of
resources and personnel. Individual decision factors include: 1) cost is too high, 2) lack of awareness of
program or individual risk, or 3) lack of access to policies. In addition, most agents do not market.
By implementing activities that address Iowa's flooding vulnerability, the State will address a number of
unmet needs. In rural areas across the state, projects will rebuild soil health, reduce peak flood flows, increase
soil productivity (and subsequently reduce the amount and costs of inputs), boost economic activity, diminish
future costs from infrastructure damage, and decrease the costs to society for cleanup of degraded natural
resources (surface water). In urban areas like Dubuque, implementation of the Bee Branch Healthy Homes
Resiliency Plan will repair flood damaged dwellings; replace furnaces, water heaters, and other key appliances;
improve weatherization and energy efficiency; mitigate mold, radon, lead-based paint, and other household
hazards; and enhance quality of life for residents.
To reduce flooding risks, the State will endeavor to reduce peak flood flows by keeping water in the fields
for longer, which allows for existing infrastructure and infrastructure previously improved through disaster
recovery funding functioning within its designed level for all but the most extreme events. Efforts to improve
low-income housing impacted by disasters in Dubuque also support long-term recovery._Helping homeowners
who have been unable to address their unmet housing needs will improve health outcomes, safety, livability,
and affordability in the Bee Branch Watershed.
The impacts of flooding create challenges for vulnerable populations. Frequently transportation routes are
disrupted, water utility systems are compromised, and homes are inundated with contaminated water. Iowa in
partnership with the Iowa Disaster Human Resource Council and United Way's 211 program will work to
identify social vulnerability in potential project areas. Dubuque's Bee Branch Healthy Homes Resiliency Plan
will work across multiple agencies and jurisdictions, and across separate silos and sources of funding. This will
help to identify and remove barriers to holistic, efficient and household centric approaches to improving the
health, safety, livability and affordability of housing in the watershed. As such, the risks of disproportionate
effects on any population group are minimized significantly.
A number of conditions exacerbate vulnerability for communities within the state as well as outside of its'
borders downstream. It is apparent from the condition of Iowa's streams that excessive amounts of fertilizer are
being deposited in waterways. The pollution caused by this fertilizer negatively affects the surrounding areas
and areas downstream of the sources of the pollution. The continued existence of this pollution and the negative
environmental impacts created by it are a result of soil loss and degradation, which if properly addressed, can
significantly improve both the environmental condition of the immediate and downstream areas, and also
contribute to economic growth through increased productivity and decreased costs of production in the
agricultural sector.
Significant progress has been made in flood risk reduction for urban communities. State Agencies in
partnership with local leaders plan, design, and implement hazard mitigation activities to protect people and
infrastructure from future harm. The Flood Mitigation Board has committed over $450 million dollars for the
future implementation of urban flood risk reduction solutions. Addressing soil degradation is fundamental to
building a comprehensive resiliency strategy in this primarily agrarian state. Traditional funding solutions,
through the USDA, have been limited and oversubscribed in Iowa for many years. By approaching the solution
holistically, the State is recognizing that water systems, both rural and urban, are joined and cannot be dealt
with individually.
Over 4,500 feet of buried Bee Branch Creek is being excavated and restored to mitigate flash flooding,
improve environmental quality, and create a daylit creek and park space for Dubuque's most at-risk
neighborhoods. Over 1,150 homes and businesses are benefiting from the project, which includes the
conversion of 240 green alleys and totals over $200 million in construction and restoration.
Exhibit E
Soundness of Approach
State of Iowa
a. Consultation
Consultation will occur at two levels: statewide for the larger watershed efforts, and within Dubuque for
efforts to protect low-income housing from disaster events. The project team will encourage statewide
stakeholder collaboration in forming site-specific project activities by conducting regional community
roundtables in the identified target areas. Iowa will utilize the membership base of the State Hazard Mitigation
Team and the Long-Term Recovery Taskforce to reach stakeholders with experience in these communities
related to the State's requirements listed in 24 CFR 91.110 (a)-(e). Project partners will assist with the
facilitation of these roundtables and provide the technical feedback to move the project development process
forward. Throughout the consultation process, the project team will consider innovative ways to reach
vulnerable populations with the goal of maximizing the visibility of the project-development process. Once the
application program/projects are drafted, a public hearing and the required follow up activities will be
completed.
At the urban scale, Dubuque will rely on a strong foundation of public/private partnerships and community
engagement to ensure that implementation of the project includes all stakeholders and involves input from and
outreach to all residents. Monthly meetings of project partners with structured agendas and assignments will
ensure that all program partners are engaged and meeting the defined outcomes. The City's Community
Engagement Toolkit will be used to identify stakeholder audiences, including traditionally marginalized
population, communication strategies and opportunities for input and implementation.
Since 2008, IEDA and HSEMD have worked together to address flood risk reduction strategies across the
State. This competition allows the State and its partners to engage in a holistic conversation about the stresses
and shocks Iowa communities face during a hazard event. HSEMD, through the Long-Term Disaster Recovery
Task Force and individual stakeholder visits, conducted a series of meetings discussing the current framework
of disaster recovery efforts. These initial stakeholder conversations quickly revealed the complexity of water
management systems related to flooding. Through these discussions several concerns came forward including
water quality and quantity issues, the increasing impact of climate change and precipitation change, the current
and growing list of impaired streams in the state, the loss of wetlands, the need for continued refinement and
support of conservation practices, additional attention to implementing the nutrient reduction strategy, increased
incentives that make soil-building best management practices more attractive to landowners in priority
watersheds, and ecosystem management issues including wildlife habitat and biodiversity.
Dubuque has also begun engaging stakeholders in its resiliency efforts. Since the beginning of the redesign
of the Bee Branch Creek, the Washington, North End and Point Neighborhood residents and businesses have
been primary partners. A 16-member community advisory committee collaborated with City staff and
consultants on the daylighting of the Bee Branch Creek. A Bee Branch Communications Specialist has also
been hired, whose primary job is to share information with the affected neighborhoods in a variety of formats
and gather and respond to feedback and concerns of the neighborhood. Topics that have already been addressed
as part of the Bee Branch project include infrastructure and creek design, recreation/amenity design and
construction safety
The stakeholders for this project are a combination of local, state and federal government agencies,
identified in Attachment D, who are involved in disaster recovery, hazard mitigation and watershed
management initiatives. Advocacy and special interest groups for agricultural producers, environmental groups
and small business have been involved in preliminary discussions regarding statewide resiliency efforts, and
will continue to add value through the public participation process in site-specific project development.
HSEMD began working with the most impacted and distressed areas with unmet recovery needs through the
Public Assistance Program. The participants include state government agencies, county government, municipal
government, school districts, taxing districts, Indian Tribes, and private non-profits that perform services for the
impacted communities. HSEMD coordinates disaster recovery and outreach through the Long-term Recovery
Task Force. This multi-agency team coordinates assistance and works with the local communities to establish a
continuum of care for the most affected community members. The Iowa Disaster Human Resource Council
(IDHRC), also coordinated through HSEMD, works to address disaster response needs and the potential for
disaster case management early in the disaster cycle.
Dubuque's stakeholders include the Visiting Nurses Association, Community Foundation of Greater
Dubuque, Operation New View Community Action Agency, Crescent Community Health Center, Green Iowa
Americorps, the Dubuque Community School District, local utility providers, and various City departments.
These entities have had substantial input on the development of this proposal, and will continue to collaborate
on the implementation of the proposed program through monthly meetings, client recruitment and referrals,
coordination of inspections and data collection, community outreach, and analysis of achievement and barriers.
Stakeholders for statewide resiliency efforts will be engaged through regional roundtable meetings. The
emergency management commissions, made up of local municipal and county leadership, will collaborate with
partners to publicize these events. Application and project materials will be posted online, and a series of
conference calls will be organized to gather comments on project/program development.
In Dubuque, the City will advance collaboration through a Collective Impact approach. The program will
create stronger connections between existing housing, health, energy, workforce, community development, and
education programs in order to work more effectively and efficiently. In addition to monthly meetings, project
partners will provide regular updates to elected officials and boards of their respective organizations. These
regular updates will ensure that any policy, program or budget decisions related to the project can be made in an
informed, timely manner and receive the administrative and financial support necessary for success.
Through the Long-Term Recovery Task Force, regional case management organizations, non-profit
advocacy groups, and state agencies were engaged in the risk assessment and vulnerability analysis.
Additionally, The Sac and Fox Tribe of Mississippi are identified as a community with repetitive flooding
events without sufficient resources to fully recover. HSEMD, IEDA and the Tribe established a working group
to identify their most vulnerable areas at risk to flooding. From these conversations, the tribe is investigating
their unmet recovery needs and how to build resiliency in their community. This includes continuing the
process of joining NFIP. The State of Nebraska also contacted Iowa for a Missouri River Corridor concept,
which is home to many low to moderate- income populations.
Many of the neighborhoods included in Dubuque's project include low-income populations. These residents
have been involved since the inception of the project as described above. Dubuque employs a "reach-in"
approach to working with groups that are not well connected to their community, participating in their existing
activities to define challenges and opportunities for improvement and collaboration.
Throughout the consultation process, project partners met with various natural resources, environmental and
agricultural advocacy groups to determine the status of progress in disaster resilience. The City of Dubuque and
the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi also consulted with their vulnerable populations current to determine
their unmet recovery needs.
For many people, rural and urban alike, it is not always obvious how land use management decisions can
influence the flood risk vulnerability of residents and communities downstream. Community-supported water
and transportation infrastructure can gain resiliency when decisions are made with a watershed mindset.
Neighborhood advocates have also recommended a specific partnership with landlord associations in
implementation of this program. While structural issues may be one-time issues, the high rate of renters in the
affected neighborhoods mean that recurring outreach to tenants will be needed. Ongoing outreach will ensure
proper maintenance behaviors, and educate tenants who may be new to the area on how to respond in the event
of a natural disaster. Additional education is also needed about financial support opportunities for renters who
are not eligible for traditional housing assistance programs.
Iowa is considering and is in the process of discussing the indirect risks and vulnerabilities in the
environment of our target areas. Project activities will be scoped with partners to further the development of
healthy communities for all citizens. By addressing flooding at the watershed level, the potential for improved
water quality including the reduction of nitrates in drinking water will greatly benefit residents. Sustainable land
use, improvements in the food chain process, and open green spaces are all potential co-benefits.
Collaboration with stakeholders has shifted Iowa's traditional disaster recovery path from urban
infrastructure-centered project development to the more holistic, integrated watershed systems management
approach. This approach has the benefit of being a pathway to significant changes in water quantity, water
quality, nutrient flow reduction, and land conservation practices. This approach benefits local municipal
governments and utilities, and also engages private landowners and producers in developing solutions.
Concerns about the potential for gentrification have also been raised by stakeholders. Through policy,
housing and self-sufficiency programs, small business investment, and careful attention to demographic and
economic indicators, project partners will work to ensure that this is not an issue that comes to life.
b. Idea or Concept
The State of Iowa proposes an interagency coordination team composed of local, state, federal, and other
water-related organizations and advocacy groups working collaboratively on various aspects of flood risk
reduction activities. This interagency team will have a constantly evolving partnership that adapts to current
needs and issues identified by the community. The team will provide a mechanism to communicate
opportunities for collaboration throughout the state. By working with communities and local officials with a
critical stake in watershed management, decisions will be directly connected to the needs of citizens.
For project development, this public-private partnership will work together to understand the needs of the
area and leverage previous planning and modeling to scope activities. This could be a combination of
engineered and incentive solutions based on the unmet recovery need in the community. The purpose of the
HUD funding is to move communities farther along the path to flood resilience and develop several watershed
models that can be implemented in other parts of the state. There is also potential to develop a model that could
be utilized in any agriculturally-based state.
The State of Iowa is developing an approach that contains many moving pieces. It can be altered to best fit
the needs of the communities identified in Exhibit B response during Phase 2. The approach discussed in this
application is the natural extension of project work completed to date. There are many organizations involved in
these activities that identified "gaps" in their initiatives that are part of this approach. The State is confident that
the actions discussed as part of this framing exercise will develop into feasible and resilient projects.
Through collaboration with partners including the IFC, Iowa Water Center, DNR, and IDALS, the project is
framing water quantity issues in a way that also impacts water quality and land conservation practices. HSEMD
will continue to approach program implementation from the perspective of achieving as many benefits from the
work as possible. The staffing and technical capability of partner organizations will strengthen the team's ability
to maximize these results. Additionally, this program structure is modeled on past projects in the CDBG
program. This will assist in quickly addressing all programmatic issues related to environmental review and
human health with site-specific project implementation.
The work underway in The Nature Conservancy's Ecosystem Services Study is identifying, analyzing and
mapping ecosystem services using modeling to highlight opportunities for watershed management projects that
could yield multiple environmental and economic benefits. Service modeling includes flood-risk/damage
mitigation, nutrient filtration/reduction to improve water quality, the provision of habitat to support game and
wildlife species, and the reduction of soil loss and sediment delivery to stream and rivers. These detailed models
provide a better understanding of the physical relationship between land use changes and the resulting
hydrologic impact. Hydrologic changes result in measurable changes in flood stages and structure losses at
downstream urban areas such as the City of Cedar Rapids. Spatial location of conservation practices is also an
important factor in mitigating urban flood risk.
Project activities in Dubuque will also create links between water quality and public health (decreased
mold-related asthma cases and lead poisoning), workforce development and education outcomes (decreased
work and school absenteeism related to health conditions). Improving the quality of housing in impacted
neighborhoods will improve the quality of life for residents. As part of the Smarter, Sustainable Dubuque
initiative, the City and its partners are exploring an integrated multi-sectoral data-based and analytical
approach/tool that could be used for the comparative assessment of interventions to improve resiliency and
track these co-benefits.
The project will engage mostly rural communities in flood-resilience activities. These communities have
limited access to federal and state funding for disaster recovery projects. Current water management systems
were not designed to handle increasing precipitation levels, the increased intensity of storm events, and the
increased velocity of water from farmlands and streambeds. These systems will not improve without
collaborative, comprehensive planning and engineered changes to the landscape in the watershed.
National research shows that low-income and minority individuals can be most vulnerable to climate change
events due to instability of income, lack of resources and lack of connection to outreach efforts. The project's
focus on urban resiliency efforts in Dubuque will demonstrate that, through the engagement of neighborhood
associations, landlords and business associations, targeted efforts can help distressed residents and small
businesses prepare for and respond to disaster events.
Promoting an understanding of the relationship between soil quality and flooding has been underway in
Iowa for decades. As part of this project, agricultural and urban residents will need to engage in a holistic
approach that balances land use changes. Urban development usually means faster water delivery to a river
which may cause soil erosion and change the channel geometry. By working within a watershed approach, these
types of cause and effect relationships can be fully explored.
The project's urban resiliency activities also provide benefits beyond flood prone neighborhoods. By
serving the homes in Dubuque's Bee Branch Watershed, the project is creating a holistic, resident-centered
model that can be implemented in any home in the city. While targeted towards Bee Branch Watershed
residents, education about topics such as sustainable home management and disaster preparation and response
will reach all Dubuque neighborhoods. As such, a culture of resiliency and preparedness will be instituted.
Iowa transportation systems connect rural and urban communities. From the 8 sub-county areas with unmet
infrastructure recovery needs, project activities will be scoped to provide future community resilience to
flooding. For example, after flooding events, residents experienced long detours to work, businesses incurred
additional costs to transport goods, fuel consumption increased, and some residents were forced to relocate to
other communities due to a lack of suitable housing. Agricultural producers were left with heavy silt deposits
on soil, impacting crop production and further depleting economic resources. A resilient disaster recovery for
all target areas will focus on the strengthening of these sectors by understanding their connections.
HSEMD will work within the watersheds to resolve vulnerabilities and address unmet needs. A cross-
disciplinary team will work regionally to resolve needs within the watershed. The partnerships needed to be
successful in this approach are in place and expanding through the identification of project areas. By creating a
multi-jurisdictional approach to unmet recovery needs, the risk of jurisdictional conflict will be minimized.
Hazard mitigation, watershed and land conservation planning are all done on the multi-jurisdictional level. The
groups that develop these plans engage local decision-makers in the planning process, expediting the
implementation of actions. Agreements with partners will be developed upon project and program activity
selection. Dubuque will also work with an established multi-sectoral team to meet the unmet needs of affected
residents and businesses. Partners will sign an agreement that defines individual organization roles, protocol for
assessments and interventions, contractor standards, and data collection and reporting needs.
Resilience is the ability to anticipate, prepare for and adapt to changing conditions and withstand, respond to
and recover rapidly from disruptions. Iowa will continue to support disaster resilience activities and work
toward developing a framework for urban to rural communities. This approach compliments the President's
Climate Action Plan and will require multi-disciplinary expertise to develop improved water systems
management so communities can mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazard events more
rapidly. The State of Iowa has committed to creating a more resilient state through several programs. The
State's housing acquisition program has purchased and permanently removed over 2,900 homes from the
floodplain since 1993. The DNR is currently engaged in a statewide flood map modernization program utilizing
high resolution LiDAR, and creating depth and velocity grids for the vast majority of the state.
Six communities within the state participate in the CRS program, with two others in the process of joining.
Of the participating communities, only the City of Iowa City is among the areas that have been identified as
most impacted and distressed in the Phase 1 application. Additionally, Iowa has 25 other communities that,
although not in the CRS program, enforce higher floodplain development standards than the minimum required
by the NFIP. Of these, five communities, Bernard, Chelsea, Clinton, Independence, and Pottawattamie County,
are identified as most impacted and distressed in the Phase 1 application. The State of Iowa also has minimum
floodplain development regulations that exceed the NFIP's minimum floodplain standards, including requiring
the lowest floor of all new, substantially improved/damaged structures to be at least one foot above base flood
elevation, and requiring that structures identified as having a"maximum flood potential", meaning that they are
critical facilities or serve a critical need within their communities, be protected to at least one foot above the 500
frequency flood. Additionally, because of state floodplain requirements, the DNR calculates the base flood
elevation for most floodplain development located in unnumbered A Zones within the state, regardless of
whether or not the community participates in the NFIP.
The Iowa State University's Climate Science Program has completed several studies on climate change,
including Dr. Eugene S. Tackle's 2011 paper titled: Assessment of Potential Impacts of Climate Changes on
Iowa Using Current Trends and Future Projections. Over the last 30 years, annual temperature increases,
extreme precipitation events, and increases in humidity have impacted our communities and economy.
Understanding these risks and vulnerabilities provides guidance in addressing our unmet needs.
Since 2006, the Dubuque City Council has identified becoming a more sustainable and resilient city as its
top priority. The Sustainable Dubuque vision, as defined by a citizen task force, is as follows: "Dubuque is a
viable, livable and equitable community. We embrace economic prosperity, environmental integrity, and
social cultural vibrancy in order to create a sustainable legacy for generations to come." This vision has
become the lens through which all decisions are made by the City. The vision is defined by twelve sustainability
principles which include Community Design, Green Buildings, Healthy Air, Clean Water, Smart Energy Use,
Community Health and Safety, and Community Knowledge.
More recently, Dubuque has engaged its partners in an effort to utilize data to transition to a more
outcomes-oriented decision-making model. Many data sets are available to assist in this endeavor: historical
weather data; financial and budget data that identifies the public and private economic costs of severe rain
events to the community; national data that projects more frequent, severe temperature and precipitation events
as a result of climate change; public health data that shows the impact of poor air quality and poor housing
conditions on individuals; and more qualitative data that shows the personal impact to vulnerable populations
during and after severe weather events. The key to the Smarter, Sustainable Dubuque initiative is synthesizing
this vast amount of data into targeted, actionable key performance indicators that drive the City's resiliency
work.
The City was the first community in Iowa to join the NFIP in 1971 and has regulated floodplain
development since 1990. The City has never approved a variance from NFIP requirements and has not allowed
a single residential structure to be built in any flood hazard area The only new structures built in flood hazard
areas have been commercial structures elevated and/or flood proofed in compliance with NFIP requirements.
In 2013, the Dubuque City Council adopted the 50 percent by 2030 Community Climate Action &
Resiliency Plan, a targeted approach to reducing greenhouse gases 50 percent below 2003 levels by 2030. As a
result of recommendations in that plan, Dubuque had already reduced its emissions five percent by 2011. In
addition, Dubuque is focused on incorporating actions to remain resilient in the face of climate change into its
community planning process. The Bee Branch Watershed Project is a model for this proactive approach.
Exhibit F
Leverage and Outcomes
State of Iowa
Outcomes:
The solution will be implemented with long-term commitments in place. Building from a planning-based,
systematic framework to support watershed problem solving requires multi-objective project implementation.
The solution will allow flexibility to address problems as they exist in different settings and landform type/eco-
region, and not focus on one narrow set of approaches, practices or technologies. The project team will strive to
facilitate voluntary implementation of best management practices to support long-term solutions within the
current regulations. Attainable results will be achieved by addressing all types of impacts on water resources,
including agricultural, commercial, municipal, and residential. Improving watershed function is a responsibility
that all Iowans share.. The engineered solutions under consideration include systems designed to capture and
retain water in the fields that will then be utilized in the summer months for irrigation. The co-benefits include
measurable reduction in nutrients flowing into Iowa waterways and a reduction in soil loss during intense
repetitive rain events. There is also the potential to design projects that include renewable energy activity. Iowa
is very active in the production of renewable energy alternatives such as wind, solar and biofuels. IEDA, as the
State-designated energy office, will bring opportunities to the attention of stakeholders as the project develops.
Dubuque's Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation project is a holistic, multi-phased, green infrastructure
investment to mitigate flooding, improve water quality, stimulate development, and enhance quality of life. The
project catalyzes community economic, social and environmental capital to create resilient neighborhoods,
foster economic opportunities and balance resources. The 13-phase Bee Branch Watershed project will reduce
the volume of stormwater, slow the rate of stormwater through the upper watershed, and increase the safe
conveyance of stormwater through flood-prone areas. When complete, it also will include "daylighting" a
buried creek, community gardens, outdoor amphitheater/classroom, bioswales, landscaped parkways, 1,000
trees, hike/bike trails, water recreation and other amenities, and necessary utilities and public infrastructure. The
design life of the various improvements associated with the project is 100 years. The majority of infrastructure
improvements are to be completed by 2021. The restoration of houses could be completed over two years.
How can your idea be implemented in an environmentally and financially sustainable way?
The funds utilized in this program will focus on buying down the initial costs of implementation, sharing the
burden of the costs between the land owners and downstream communities. As the proposed approach is
intrinsically linked to reversing the sources of environmental degradation through soil erosion and water
pollution, environmental conditions are inherently addressed in the proposed project.
The Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project's single most important achievement is removal of
silos at every project level including federal funding, and is thus financially sustainable. The project leverages
public and private investments in order to improve neighborhood quality, thus improving property values. As
opposed to building additional storm sewers that whisk rapidly-moving water downstream, the watershed
approach creates space for natural management of flash flooding while protecting homes near the waterway.
Dubuque's Housing and Community Development Department has been actively involved in the training of
lead and "Healthy Homes" contractors. Because of past Lead Hazard Control Grants, the need for trained lead
professionals was paramount to the success of the program. Currently, staff can provide all disciplines of
professional lead certifications. Past HUD grant performances reported an average of 86 percent Section 3
contractors and workers on projects. The City will initiate a partnership with the local office of Iowa Workforce
Development. This office offers immediate work on a daily basis for interested individuals. Training and
business opportunities will be provided to low- and very-low-income persons living within the community by
providing scholarships for participating in professional lead certification training, which will be required to
perform work on the homes because of the high incidence of lead based paint use in this target area.
To ensure the program reaches persons of need that may be under-served due to cultural differences, the
Multicultural Family Center of Dubuque will be utilized for outreach. The staff is dedicated to reaching families
based on understanding and collaboration across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups committed to
producing engaged families and community members. The Center will promote contractor and worker job
opportunities in partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College,
Successful project implementation will result in a 30 percent reduction of peak flow in the rural target area
watersheds. This reduction will directly address the unmet recovery needs of the eligible target areas which are
currently vulnerable to flooding. Success will be measured by the best practices implemented according to the
landscape we are working within, by determining reduced soil loss and nutrients which are an indicator of
reduced peak-flow. Measurements will be determined by computer modeling as well as utilizing existing and
expanded stream gauging systems.
The City of Dubuque will perform healthy homes interventions for 300 units, by utilizing rehabilitation,
weatherization and lead resources. Structurally sound, energy-efficient, lead-hazard-free, safe, and healthy
living environment will be the outcomes. This can be achieved by combining resources to maximize services
through a collaboration of programs. Coordinated inspections and interventions will result in a bigger "bang for
buck", with a lower per-home cost than would be experienced if each home was assisted by independent
agencies without integrated schedules.
Implementing integrated, green infrastructure solutions will result in better on-site management of severe
rain events. These public and private investments and the creation of more resilient homes will prevent an
estimated $582 million in damages over the 100-year life of the project and create an incentive for individuals
and businesses to reinvest in the area, which can be measured in increased property values.
Leverage:
The City of Dubuque has engaged in conversations with FEMA to address floodplain and insurance issues.
In the Bee Branch Watershed's flood prone area shown on the FEMA digital flood insurance rate map
(DFIRM), a typical residential property owner, whose mortgage is federally backed, will need to purchase flood
insurance at a cost of approximately $1,000 annually. Much of the properties included in the FEMA DFIRM
flood zones are in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. The financial impact of additional flood insurance
costs are magnified for homeowners and businesses who are struggling to get by in a tough economy. If this
neighborhood remains in FEMA flood zones, we anticipate disinvestment and the reversal of years of effort to
encourage home ownership and reinvestment. Businesses and industries will experience higher costs to operate,
and reduced borrowing power for building improvements, new machinery and equipment, and job growth.
Removing land from the floodplain and establishing more moisture-resistant housing will result in diminished
need for flood insurance. Additionally, flood insurance is not available to tenants in this high-renter
neighborhood, furthering the potential negative impact on over 60 percent of the current population who rents.
While many programs and resources already exist to support watershed programs, additional resources are
needed to serve identified needs, especially to link programs effectively with local communities. Examples of
potential funding sources include Section 319(IDNR/EPA), Water Protection Fund (DSC), Watershed
Protection Fund (WSPF, DSC), PL566 Public Law 566 Watershed Program (MRCS), and Environmental
Quality Incentive Program (MRCS). Partnerships with the Iowa Flood Center, Iowa DNR's watershed
management authorities, the Iowa Daily Soil Erosion Project Team, and IDALS will provide the technical
support for the project. The Project team will also look within the communities for additional resources. This
could include financial, technical or in-kind support. By addressing a flooding issue using green infrastructure
versus gray infrastructure, financial assistance through the EPA's Clean Water SRF Program is possible.
Transforming the flood-prone area where commercial property values have actually dropped by 6 percent while
they increased community-wide by 39 percent will result in affordable, safe and healthy workforce housing.
The State of Iowa, through the Flood Mitigation Board, has firmly committed resources in the target areas to
increase their resiliency to flooding. Letters of partnership demonstrate shared technical resources and financial
incentives that mirror the approach outlined in this application. IDALS, DNR, IDOT, the Iowa Water Center at
Iowa State University, and the Iowa Flood Center at the University of Iowa will be the primary partners
committing funds, expertise, education and outreach, and research efforts to expand the program across multiple
priority watersheds.
Exhibit G
Regional and Long-term Commitment
State of Iowa
Iowa is firmly committed to improving flood resiliency, at the local and watershed levels. As a measure
to demonstrate this commitment, three specific areas are highlighted: the Iowa Flood Mitigation Board, the
combined IDALS/DNR efforts to improve the ability of the watersheds to store and release water in a controlled
manner, and the formation of Watershed Management Authorities. The result is less severe impacts from
extreme rain events and a more resilient state.
The State has implemented several measures across a broad spectrum of disciplines and geographic areas to
reduce risks from flooding in communities across the state. In 2012, the Iowa General Assembly created the
Iowa Flood Mitigation Board, whose sole purpose is to review and approve flood mitigation and resiliency
projects across the state. To date, the Board has approved over $450 million in state financing for eight projects.
Of these projects, five are located in areas identified as being most impacted and distressed. These communities
(and the corresponding amounts of state financial assistance) include Dubuque ($98,494,178), Iowa City
($8,497,249), Coralville ($9,769,000), Storm Lake ($4,083,060), and Council Bluffs ($57,000,000). These
projects estimate more than $4 Billion in avoided damages to permanent infrastructure, businesses, and
households over the next twenty years.
The State has also committed significant resources to improving water quality through efforts aimed at
reducing field runoff, which in turn reduces pollutants, reduces sedimentation from erosion and reduces
flooding impact by controlling the release of water. IDALS administers several programs that HSEMD
endeavors to leverage to achieve broad-based flood reduction and resiliency, including: State Revolving Loan
funds for watershed improvement projects; the Iowa Financial Incentives Program to increase water capacity in
the soil; the Iowa Watershed Protection Program for flood control, water quality protection and soil erosion
projects; the Resource Enhancement and Protection's Soil and Water Enhancement Account for use in stream
bank restoration, urban storm water and traditional erosion control practices; and the Watershed Improvement
Fund. The formal establishment of WMAs in 2011 created a mechanism for cities, counties, Soil& Water
Conservation Districts, and stakeholders to cooperatively engage in watershed planning and management.
WMAs are tasked with assessing and reducing flood risk, water quality, educating citizens, and allocating funds
for flood mitigation.
To limit the effects of extreme precipitation events, Dubuque has implemented a master plan for the Bee
Branch Creek watershed. Over, 4,500 feet of buried Bee Branch Creek is being excavated, reconstructed and
restored in a project that serves as a best practice for flood mitigation and water quality. It will re-introduce the
confined Bee Branch Creek to the North End Neighborhood, one of Dubuque's oldest neighborhoods where
hundreds of families and businesses have been repeatedly impacted by flooding. Once the over $200 million
project is complete, 1,150 homes and businesses will benefit from flood protection that meets today's design
standards for stormwater management and have access to open space and a linear park including trails, wetland
restoration and landscaping using native plans and materials. The watershed-wide approach will also convert
240 alleys into "green alleys", reducing runoff and minimizing flooding.
The 50% by 2030 Community Climate Action & Resiliency Plan was adopted in 2013 and includes
strategies to reduce community greenhouse gases 50 percent below 2003 levels by 2030. The plan was crafted
by the City and non-profit Green Dubuque, and includes recommended actions in five areas: Waste, Water,
Energy, Transportation, and Miscellaneous. Notably, over two-thirds of the reductions described in the report
are either active/planned (meaning that the projects are underway or included in current budgets), or highly
likely (meaning that the current policy and financial environment makes it very likely the actions will be
implemented). By 2011, the community had reduced GHG emissions by 5 percent from 2003 levels. One key
municipal project implemented in 2013 to help meet that target is the completion of the Water & Resource
Recovery Center. This $67 million project uses wastewater effluent for geothermal heating and cooling, in
addition to using methane recapture. The facility uses 30 percent less energy than its 40-year-old predecessor,
and will generate up to 600KW of electricity onsite with the intention of becoming a zero-energy facility.
The Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority was also created to bring public and private partners
together to improve the 57 square mile watershed that includes industrial centers, residential neighborhoods,
cropland, steep bluffs, and dense forests. In 2014, Catfish Creek Watershed Management Plan was drafted to
address serious threats to the watershed, including large amounts of soil and nutrients entering the water from
both urban and agricultural runoff. Included in the twenty-year implementation schedule are goals to restore
200,166 feet of critical priority stream reaches and riparian buffers and 250 acres of wetland.