About 25 staff parking spaces will be occupied during the construction of a ring dike near the Maple-Willow-Larch living complex.

Although the plan for the dike originally called for about 12 student parking spaces in Lot 63 to be occupied for construction, only staff spaces are going to be reduced.

The Flood Mitigation Project is designed to protect the Electric Substation located in the complex. The substation supplies power to the Richardson Court Association and the Knoll.

“We house and feed 1,500 students in Maple-Willow-Larch every day,” said James Judy, assistant director of Facilities Planning for the Department of Residence.

Despite original plans to reduce student parking during construction, the only parking spaces that have been reduced in number have been 25 staff parking spots in Lot 63, said Doug Houghton, program coordinator of the Department of Public Safety Parking Division.

Originally, students who lost their spaces in Lot 63 were allowed to park in Lot 100, located next to the Lied Recreation Center.

“Students will still be allowed to park in Lot 100 with a Lot 63 permit,” Houghton said.

All parking loss is expected to be temporary, Judy said.

Construction on the Flood Mitigation Project is scheduled to be finished Aug. 4, with landscaping continuing until October.

The project’s plan was originally started in 1994. The plans came after flooding in July 1993 caused $2.5 million worth of damage to the complex.

“Waters reached as high as my chest,” said Leroy Brown, construction project manager.

Planning continued until 1996 when the dike’s cost was deemed too high. The project resumed in February 1999 when Iowa State received a grant from Iowa Emergency Management to begin the project in conjunction with the remodeling of Maple Hall.

Iowa Emergency Management is footing three-fourths of the cost of the $1 million project; Iowa State is paying for the remaining one-fourth.

Construction of the dike has been set up in five stages that are designed to limit construction to one area of the complex at a time. Students will have access to all the buildings throughout the project.

“It is important to continue construction and keep the buildings open,” Judy said.

When the project is finished, there will be a concrete wall erected on the south and east sides of the complex for flood control, as well as for aesthetic purposes.

On the north side of the complex, a mound will be constructed for flood control. On the west, the grade of the decline is already sufficient enough to prevent flooding.

Judy said a lift station inside the complex will pump out water when the water levels are too high.