Linear Programming for Flood Control in the Iowa and Des Moines Rivers

This study addresses questions related to flood-control operating procedures followed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District. Application is presented of a mixed integer linear programming model for a reservoir system analysis of three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' projects on the Iowa and Des Moines rivers. A strategy for evaluating the value of coordinated reservoir operations is developed. Results of this study suggest that operating Coralville Reservoir, on the Iowa River, for flood control on the Mississippi River does not provide appreciable benefits and, therefore, an operation plan coordinating releases from Coralville Reservoir with the two reservoirs on the Des Moines River may be unnecessary. Damage-minimizing results were obtained by operating the three reservoirs independently for 8 of the 10 largest flood events on record. Also, a review of the operating procedures for the flood of 1993 illustrates how much damage could have been reduced if inflows could be predicted months in advance or if the existing operating rules were more averse to extreme flood events.