(Radio Iowa) – Flooding on the Cedar River the past three weeks has conservation officials in the northeast Iowa area concerned about ongoing soil and habitat preservation efforts. Black Hawk County Conservation Executive Director, Mike Hendrickson, says if the river keeps rising and falling so quickly, it could result in unforeseen erosion. “It will eventually take its toll, because it will find ways to cut erosion gulleys down through areas, and that will take out vegetation and every time it does that it’ll get bigger, and we really can’t get in there to fix it until it’s over,” he says. The Cedar River has crested at over 90 feet twice in the past three weeks.

Hendrickson says the erosion from the flood cycles could wipe out several years of work. “If these things keep coming, and if the next time we can’t get some of this water out of here, then we’re going to start having problems,” he says. “Then we have to take a look at when we can get back out there, and are we going to have to fix what we didn’t think we were going to have to fix.”
Flood conditions on the Cedar River are expected to continue at least into the weekend, and more rain is likely.