Mississippi River Flood Resiliency Plan

Challenge: The City of Davenport offers unparalleled access, views, and connectivity with the Mississippi River along much of its 9-mile riverfront. Living with and working alongside the river has shaped the City’s three-prong approach to reduce flood risk through retreat, mitigation, and active flood fighting.

In 2019, the city experienced record flooding when the Mississippi River exceeded the flood stage for 103 days and reached a new record crest. The 2019 flood event galvanized public support to re-assess the City’s approach to mitigating flood risk.

Solution: Beginning in August 2020, the HR Green partnered with the City to embark on a year-long planning study to develop recommendations to improve, simplify, and enhance the City’s response to Mississippi River floods, resulting in the Mississippi Flood Resiliency Plan.

The planning process included three waves of public and stakeholder engagement opportunities: building consensus around the themes of resilience, operations, equity, and public access and developing concepts and recommendations for structural and non-structural flood mitigation, operational efficiencies, and transportation improvements.

Benefit: The balance of non-structural and structural recommendations within the Mississippi River Flood Resiliency Plan is challenging and intentional – that tension reflects differences in public opinion regarding flood risk, financial investment in flood mitigation efforts, level of service, accessibility, and viewsheds.

The Mississippi River Flood Resiliency Plan offers short-term, incremental solutions and, over the long-term, transitions the City’s three-prong approach away from flood fighting and towards structural and non-structural mitigation solutions while balancing respect for and retreat from the river.