Flood Control

East Dubuque Local Area History Project


	East Dubuque has three different types of floods we have to deal with. First of all, there is a rain water flood. It is caused by heavy raining and water not reaching the river in time. There is also a river flood that could occur. That is when the river water reaches to a high point and floods over the dike or flood gate. The third type is when they are combined. It is when the rain water and the river water are both extremely high.

	Rain Water Floods The control of river water is extremely important. River water floods may sometimes start because of snow melting, or because of heavy raining in the northern part of America where the Mississippi River begins. Flood walls, also known as dikes or levees, were first put up in 1936 in East Dubuque. After the 1965 flood we had to build a higher flood wall because the water was up to 27 ft. In the mid 1980's, two flood gates were installed in East Dubuque. After 12 ft. of flood water, the first flood gate is closed. After the water reaches 16 ft., the second gate is closed. The Public Works Director is responsible for closing flood gates.

	Sandbagging is one way to help reduce the damage of a flood. Sandbags help to reinforce the dikes. They can also help with seepage problems. Sandbags are plastic reinforced with cloth. They are usually only half full and weigh about 40 pounds. They are never stitched or tied, but are folded over. Volunteer crews meet with disaster teams a couple times a year.

	Rain Water Floods When we have heavy rain fall, we have a big problem because of our hills. All of the water is drained into the downtown streets. It is not uncommon for Wisconsin Ave. to flood on a very heavy rain fall. There have been times when the water has been up to our knees. Most of the flood water drains into the Third Street Ditch.

	Combination Floods A combination flood occurs when intense rainfall floods street and it can't drain into the river because the flood gates are closed. A demonstration of this flood was the 1993 Flood. A current project East Dubuque City is working on is the replacement of storm sewer pipes. The new pipes will be about 6 ft. in diameter and help drain the water better than the smaller ones that were previously in there. The gravity and water movement through the storm sewer will help the rain water move toward the river.

	East Dubuque has a flood task force. It consists of the police force, fire department, city manager, and volunteer coordinators. They have planned out what to do in case of an emergency situation. They meet regularly throughout the year.

	Bibliography Interview with Mick Michel, East Dubuque City Manager, and Joe Hudspeth, East Dubuque Public Works Director, April 26, 1999.