Flood wall passes test; ready for use if needed

[Courtesy City of Muscatine]

The Department of Public Works “exercised” the flood gate on 2nd Street at Mad Creek on Wednesday, March 15, as part of a staff training exercise and in preparation for potential floods this spring and summer.

“We have a lot of new people that have never been involved with closing this flood gate and a few that have only done it one time,” Tyson Wedekind, Roadway Maintenance Supervisor, said. “This was good training and a good exercise of the gate in case we have to close it for real in the case of a major flood event.”

[Courtesy City of Muscatine]

The City of Muscatine closed East 2nd Street from Oak Street to Highway 92 and detoured traffic onto East 5th Street as the gate was moved into place, connecting and completing the flood wall that separates Mad Creek and HNI Corp.

Maintenance of the flood gate is conducted annually prior to the start of the spring flood season.