Davenport Project, Inactive, Local Protection
Rock Island District
Davenport is on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Scott County. It is one of a group of cities which extends for about 10 miles along both banks of the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, and Rock Island County, Ill., forming a continuous metropolitan area, called the “Quad Cities.”
Blackhawk Creek protection was found incrementally unjustified economically and was deleted from the project in 1982. About 1,700 acres of Davenport, extensively developed for industrial, commercial, and residential purposes, is subject to flooding from the Mississippi River.
A large residential development in the western part of the city is affected by flooding of Blackhawk Creek, as well as from Mississippi River backwater in the creek.
A project was authorized in the 1970 Flood Control Act which would provide protection from floods having a recurrence interval of once in 200 years. In coordination with the Davenport officials, the authorized plan was reviewed and modified to reflect current problems, needs, and community preferences.
The modified plan includes construction of earth levees and floodwalls with appurtenant features, closure structures at streets and railroads, miscellaneous relocation items, a nonstructural floodplain management program for a portion of the city, and structural protection for the city's water company, preservation of Nahant Marsh as a wetland, and construction of certain recreation features.
Federal cost is estimated at $29.2 million based on Oct. 1, 1986, price levels; non-federal cost is estimated at $11.7 million. In October 1984, the city of Davenport stated that they could not support the project at this time because of the large monetary outlay which would be required of the city.
The project has been classified “inactive.”
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