Virden Creek Levee
The Virden Creek levee from US 63 to Lower Gates Park was constructed by the City in 1969-1970 to provide protection for the area behind the Cedar River levee system from a 100-year flood. This levee was not constructed as part of the federal levee project and as such, did not have the 3-foot freeboard (vertical height between a 100-year flood and the top of the levee) that the federal levees are constructed with. When the FEMA flood maps were updated in the late 2000s, the lack of freeboard was critical in FEMA’s decision to potentially drop flood insurance coverage for the properties protected by the Virden Creek levee. By reconstructing the top of the levees to add the required freeboard, the Virden Creek levee will meet the requirements of the federal levee certification program, allowing FEMA to recognize the levee, and continuing to provide flood insurance to properties.
Tricon Construction Group, Inc. of Dubuque, Iowa won the bid last spring with a total bid of $3,808,500. Construction began March 6, 2020 and has an estimated completion date of November 20, 2020. You can watch video construction updates here.
The FIRM map is centered on Virden Creek from the Cedar River to north of Donald Street and shows the various flood zones in the area. The red line is the approximate area protected by the Virden Creek levee and represents those parcels that benefit from having a certified levee. View the FIRM Map here.