ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District, in partnership with the City of Cedar Rapids, continues to review and evaluate flood risk management alternatives for the City. The Corps has completed a preliminary analysis for an alternative that mirrors the City of Cedar Rapids’ preferred plan. This alternative includes levees and floodwalls on both sides of the Cedar River built to June 2008 record flood levels.
The preliminary analysis of this alternative shows a Benefit-to-Cost Ratio of less than 1. This cost ratio means that the estimated cost to provide flood risk management protection under this alternative is more than the estimated benefits. The law requires a project to have a favorable Benefit-to-Cost Ratio of more than 1 to move forward.
Under the Cedar Rapids Flood Risk Management Feasibility Study, additional analysis is being conducted to determine if a cost-effective flood risk management alternative, with positive net benefits, could be recommended by the Corps of Engineers to Congress for authorization and construction. Additional study analysis includes modifications to the City of Cedar Rapids’ preferred plan, modified levee alignments, and flood proofing.
The Corps’ planning process evaluates and compares alternative plans to determine which alternative has the greatest net national economic development (NED) benefits. The NED analysis uses a national process to determine potential Corps of Engineers involvement in water resource projects. The NED analysis includes the probability of flood-induced damages to residential and non-residential properties, costs for emergency operations during floods, and damages to infrastructure.
Following the review of all alternatives, the Corps is scheduled to develop a Draft Feasibility Report in June 2010, summarizing all data collection and economic evaluations, benefit-to-cost ratios and net benefits for the array of alternatives, and indicate any Corps of Engineers recommendation to Congress for a flood risk management project. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determination that the NED benefits are less than the alternatives’ costs, resulting in no recommendation, does not prevent a project from being authorized by Congress and constructed by the Corps of Engineers.
Visit the Cedar River, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Flood Risk Management web site @ http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/PublicAffairsOffice/CedarRapids/CedarRapids.htm
Release no. 10-12-09