Hamburg, Iowa — A small town in Iowa where 2 rivers converge, was hit by flooding and then drought, with record-setting floods that devestated the Midwest during the Spring of 2019.
Chosen for our unmatched expertise in renovating water and transportation infrastructure across the nation, Ulteig’s Transportation and Civil Engineering experts helped lead the task of replacing Hamburg’s municipal wells as a direct result of the 2019 Missouri River flooding.
Combining Forces to Build a More Resilient System
Ulteig worked in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), USDA-RD and multiple state agencies to implement a complete solution for the town that will make the town’s water infrastructure stronger and more resilient to future flooding events.
Anticipating future flooding, the following changes were recommended and implemented:
- Replace the town’s one remaining well with two new wells designed in anticipation of future 100-year flooding events.
- To mitigate future flooding, the two new wells were built at a height of 0.5 feet above the elevation of a new, permanent levee built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The floor of the building that houses the new wells is six inches above the elevation of the dikes.
- Permanently replace the levee (or dike) along the western side of town. The levee that was breached during the Great Flood of 2019 was built to be temporary (built back in 2011). In the reconstruction, the new levee was now built to withstand a 500-year flood event.
- Implement a permanent propane generator to power the site and operate the wells if power were to ever go out to ensure residents have access to water.
In meeting with Hamburg’s residents to brief them about the plan, Ulteig engineers noted the determination of Hamburg residents to do it “right.” After a town experiences the devastation that Hamburg did, you would think that folks would want to pick up and leave. But not in Hamburg. Members of the community voiced their passion for their hometown and their determination to build it back stronger than before.
The project is set for completion in Spring of 2022.
Learn More About Ulteig’s Customizable Solutions
Go to Ulteig’s Transportation page for more information about their Transportation expertise. To view more stories like Hamburg’s, visit our Knowledge Center.
