DES MOINES, Iowa ( IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH ) - Drive across the top of the levee; come back along the levee’s “toe” slope; pause when a flood wall or obstruction crosses the levee; move to the next section.

This has been the methodology for the Iowa Geological Survey team members the past several fall seasons as they survey the geological integrity of Iowa’s 900 miles of levees.

The crew is on year three of a five-year, legislatively directed initiative to assess levees across the state to help the state Office of Levee Safety to prioritize funding for repairs on the structures that help prevent flood damage.

Jason Vogelgesang, a geophysicist with Iowa Geological Survey, said the data collected with the survey helps to point out specific areas of a levee in need of repair, which can hel

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