The Windsor Heights Flood Reduction and Resiliency Plans’ primary purpose is to determine effective strategies to minimize flood impact to public and private property and to increase flood resiliency for the City of Windsor Heights. The full plan in storyboard format is availablehere.
Through a community-based planning process, the City of Windsor Heights reviewed technically feasible and cost-effective flood risk reduction actions along with public input to form actionable steps that not only protect lives and property but also decrease the threat of impact from future flooding events.
Flooding Risk
Similar to many communities in the Des Moines area, Windsor Heights faces great challenges when it comes to reducing the impact and risk of severe flood events. Following the updates to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) published in February 2019, approximately $15 million in property value was added to the City of Windsor Heights floodplain. Included in these properties were all of Colby Park, the Community Event Center, the Public Works Maintenance Shop, as well as numerous nearby residential properties. Because of the expansion of the community’s floodplain and the apparent flood risks, the City of Windsor Heights has chosen to invest in establishing this flood reduction and resiliency plan to protect residents, property, and the financial resources of the community.
The largest area at risk of flooding is shown above. FEMA Firm maps are available through the Iowa Flood Center
Mitigation Action Assessment
These actions/sites evaluated included:
Programmatic Improvements
National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (CRS)
Retrofitting structures in the Colby Park neighborhood
Retrofitting structures along North Walnut Creek
Acquisition of selected properties
Re-development of selected properties
Structural Improvements
Levee alternatives – A, B1/B2, and C1/C2
Channel modifications (cleanout/widening)
Upstream flood storage
Floodplain Storage Expansion for North Walnut Creek
Flood wall for selected properties along North Walnut Creek
While near-term construction of flood barriers or property acquisitions are cost prohibitive, the City is currently undertaking steps to join the Community Rating System which will provide discounted flood insurance to Windsor Heights homeowners. A multifaceted stormwater $10+ million stormwater management plan is also in process and being paid for through stormwater fees that are assessed based on properties impervious surface area. In 2024, the City of Windsor Heights completed a Flood Response Plan which is available here.