lab notes
hens both organizations and provides even better service to Iowans. Everyone benefits in this situation.” With the IGS on board, IIHR expertise now covers all aspects of Iowa’s hydrologic cycle — precipitation, evaporation and evapotranspiration, surface flow, infiltration, and groundwater flow. This broader scope will facilitate collaborations and allow researchers to develop the best possible water-related information, analyses, and tools for Iowans. Together, IIHR and IGS are developing a comprehensive understanding of Iowa’s water in all its forms, making it possible to address a wide spectrum of water-related concerns, including conservation, quality, and quantity.
P hoto by jack i e h . stolz e
The Iowa Geological Survey joined IIHR in 2014. Members of the IGS staff pictured here are (front row, l to r): Jason Vogelgesang, H. Paul Liu, Stephanie Surine, Rick Langel, and Phillip Kerr; (second row, l to r): Nate Young, Zachary Demanett, Matthew Streeter, Ryan Clark, Keith Schilling, and Mike Gannon.
Flood 2014 Heavy mid-summer rains once again raised the specter of flooding in Iowa. Officials ordered residents in low-lying rural areas to evacuate downstream of the Coralville Dam after a series of thunderstorms poured more than five inches of rain on some parts of Eastern Iowa. As water climbed to within a foot of the spillway, residents of Iowa City braced for a flood that thankfully did not materialize. The University of Iowa once again mobilized its flood mitigation resources on campus, including a battery of HESCO flood barriers and the “invisible flood wall” around Art Building West. Damage to roads, bridges, and public buildings totaled more than $11 million. Crop damage was also substantial. I I HR Curr ents W int e r 2 0 1 4 – 1 5 • 5