As of 2 p.m. today, the city of Ames will lift the restriction on volume of water usage so residents may begin doing laundry, showering and cleaning up from the mess of the flood.
“Overnight flushing operations continued and we made tremendous progress,” said John Dunn, director of water and pollution control. “At around 10:15 p.m. last night ISU completed its flushing of Central Campus.”
Dunn said 88 water quality samples have been obtained throughout the community and 90 more will be taken today.
“The results will be used to lift the boil water advisory,” Dunn said.
He stressed, though, that only if all of the samples come back showing no signs of contamination will the boil water advisory be lifted.
If not, the city would need another 30 hours to obtain more samples and retest for contamination.
A four-inch main break on Murray Drive occurred last night but was repaired by 11 p.m.
As of Saturday morning, river levels are as follows:
- Squaw Creek at Lincoln Way: 4 feet lower
- Skunk River at Riverside: 6 feet lower
- Skunk River at U.S. Highway 30: 2 feet lower
Dunn said the rivers and creek are finally back into their banks and all roads have been reopened.
There are no predictions of weather concerns today, even with the possibility of thunderstorms this evening, according to the
National Weather Service.
“We are ahead of schedule of our late Tuesday target,” Dunn said. “We are progressing exceptionally better than I had hoped 72 hours ago.”
Dunn said Ames couldn’t have tolerated even 1 inch of rain Friday, so a cheer rose in the Department of Water and Pollution Control around 3:30 p.m. Friday when the National Weather Service lifted the flash flood watch for Story County.
Dunn said on a typical day the community puts a demand of 6.5 million gallons on the system. In the past few days, Ames has had to use nine to 9.5 million gallons per day, roughly 150 percent of the normal usage.
Warren Madden, vice president of business and finance, said the university has been cooperating closely with the city.
“Students have been very helpful and volunteered to work on campus,” Madden said. “Buildings need to be cleaned up and we are starting to identify the damage done.”
Though Madden said the university had considered changing dates of Destination Iowa State and the first day of school, ultimately it was determined that everything will begin on time, though some activities will have to be moved due to the damage at the Iowa State Center.
Though water levels are lower in Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, Madden said there is still a lot of work to be done.
“It’s a pretty discouraging sight,” Madden said. “The basketball floor is a complete loss.”
He said the cost of a new floor will cost about $100,000.
Neither the university nor the city of Ames have yet determined the cost of damages and repairs to the campus and the community.
On Friday, Gov. Chet Culver included Story County in a national disaster declaration, which opens the door for public but not private assistance, Campbell said.
Boil water advisory:
- Do not wash dishes, even in residential and commercial dishwashers.
- Do not drink, cook with, brush teeth with water or use it to make ice.
- If water is needed, boil first or use bottled water.
Water distribution is still available at these locations:
- North Walmart, 3015 Grand Ave.
- Sam’s Club, 305 Airport Road
- McFarland Clinic West, 3600 Lincoln Way
- Lot 61A by the Towers dorms
There will be another news conference at 4 p.m. Sunday in the council chambers for more flood updates.
