Flood Control Detention Basin Underway

Flood Control Detention Basin Underway in Northwest CR

Construction is underway on a flood control detention basin in northwest Cedar Rapids. Located north of the Northwest Recreation Center at 11th Street NW and M Avenue NW, the detention basin will safely hold 8.3 million gallons of excess rain water.

The project site is approximately 7.2 acres and will increase an already existing detention basin from 14 acre-feet to 25.4 acre-feet (an acre-foot is a volume measurement which equals 1 acre of land that is 1 foot in depth).

The project is the first of four major detention basin projects planned for the northwest side that will work in concert with future pump stations as part of the City’s Flood Control System. Detention basins hold excess rain water until it can be safely pumped back into the Cedar River; they also provide a “bowl” during heavy rain events, reducing stormwater runoff and neighborhood flash flooding.

The detention basin will also include pollinator zone seeding. Wildflower-rich prairie will trap stormwater, reducing flash flooding and improving water quality. Pollinator prairies serve as habitat for wildlife and pollinators, which play a critical role in maintaining diverse ecosystems and in the production of our food. Pollinator prairies also produce long-term savings through reduced mowing.

The project started early December and is scheduled to be completed this spring.

Future detention basin locations planned for the northwest quadrant include south of E Avenue NW and west of 28th Street (2022), north of O Avenue and west of Edgewood Road (2024), and south of O Avenue and east of Highwood Drive (2025). These projects are outlined in the City’s Stormwater Master Plan, and are coordinated to support the Flood Control System.