Iowa City to Receive EPA Funding to Study Burlington Street Dam Whitewater Project

The project that could turn the Burlington Street dam is still a long way off, but city planners took a step forward on it this week.

In a press release, the United States Environmental Protection Agency stated that it would be awarding the city of Iowa City with a $60,000 grant which is intended to:

...result in water quality improvements, improved fish habitat, flood mitigation and revitalization of the Riverfront Crossings District. The funding is part of EPA’s Urban Waters Program, which supports communities in their efforts to access, improve and benefit from urban waters and surrounding land.

The Gazette is reporting that the money will be used by the city to study the design and planning of modifying the dam, which could include turning the river area into one suitable for boaters, as part of the city's .

The project would support the city’s planned redevelopment of the Riverfront Crossings neighborhood southeast of the dam. Part of that work, which has benefited from another EPA grant, has included studying the possibility of creating a 26-acre riverfront park.

Steve Long, Community Development Coordinator City of Iowa City said Thursday that public forums designed to gather public input about the direction of the project will be included as part of the study.

"It's a large section of the river that is going to be opened up for public use, so we certainly want public input on it," Long said.

Long said the first public meeting on the subject is likely to be planned in November, with the study kicking off in July.

Even if all this comes to pass, whitewater rafting fans may have to wait a bit. The study could take more than six months to complete, and the course be opened after there was an entry way was constructed at a park space in the flood plain that is still several years away from completion.

This partnership between Iowa City and the EPA will be discussed this morning at a press conference at 9:00 a.m. at the Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory, Room 127, 300 S. Riverside Drive. The event will be attended by Mayor Matt Hayek and other city and university officials. It will be followed by a tour of the riverfront area.