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Bettendorf Looks to Improve Flood Management

cleanduckcreek.org
Flooding near Duck Creek

The City of Bettendorf wants to make it easier for residents living in areas prone to flooding. The city has applied for federal money to help buy and demolish homes in flood zones. And, the city council will consider changes to its flood management plan at its next meeting.

City Planner, John Soenksen, says Bettendorf is applying for a 1.7-million-dollar grant from the Department of Homeland Security. If it receives the funding, the city could purchase and destroy about 10 homes, in an area near Duck and Greenway creeks.

He calls it the "first to flood" area, where flood damage and high insurance rates can keep houses on the market for years.  
Soenksen says Bettendorf has already mailed a letter to residents explaining the program, and several have responded looking to sell their homes. He says the city would have the homes appraised and buy them at fair market value.


If the city receives the grant next year, the approved homes would be destroyed to make way for greenspace. 

Also, Soenksen says the city has been revising its flood area management ordinance for over a year. Revisions would improve how Bettendorf responds to flooding. That includes how the city removes debris from flooded creeks, evaluates subdivisions for flood risk, and attempts to reduce flooding. The city council will review the changes at its first meeting next month.