What is the flood risk at the Iowa City store?
The Iowa City Store is located in the 100-year floodplain of Ralston Creek—this is not the same thing as the Iowa River floodplain. Along the Iowa River, the water level rises and subsides over a matter of weeks. Along the Ralston Creek the risk is associated with flash flooding—wherein water levels rise in a matter of days or hours. At our particular elevation, there is a 1% chance each year that the store will be inundated by 6 feet (or higher) of water from flooding in the Ralston Creek watershed. The store was last flooded by a half foot of water in 1993. Staff sandbagged in 2008, when, during a few heavy rainfalls, water was backed up on the creek due to flooding on the Iowa River. Staff also sandbagged in 2007 in response to a number of high-intensity rain events. That year, water did flow over Washington Street but did not make it to the store. The most serious flood event occurred in 1972 when the building, then the Me Too Grocery, took on approximately 3-4 feet of water. This
