Following several days of heavy rainfall across Iowa, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is encouraging Iowans to stay out of streams until the waters recede.
Several communities and facilities experiencing flooding have notified DNR Field Offices of flooding impacts and wastewater bypasses. The department said it is currently unaware of impacts to municipal drinking water supplies or fish kills, and DNR staff will continue to monitor the situations and assist impacted communities.
Heavy rainfall events can overload wastewater collection systems, the underground sewer pipes that carry sewage to a treatment plant. Some collection systems are particularly vulnerable due to aging infrastructure.
With sewage pipes overwhelmed, excess water has nowhere to go and can back up into basements through floor drains. Bypassing can lower the water level and alleviate pressure in the collection system, keeping sewage from backing up into basements, which could present health risks. The DNR recommends people and pets avoid these areas and stay out of flooded waterways.
In Wapello County, several inches of rain fell in a short amount of time, causing a stockpile of pressed wastewater sludge, known as biosolids, to become saturated near an agricultural site northeast of the City of Kirkville. The runoff event flowed into a drainage ditch that outlets to Cedar Creek.
Staff from the DNR Field Office in Washington responded and are monitoring the situation. Water samples have been collected in the area, and a soil berm is being constructed on the property to prevent further impacts to Cedar Creek. The remaining biosolids will be land-applied and excavated from the road ditch. As a precaution, the public is advised to avoid Cedar Creek north of Kirkville at this time.