If states fully commit to the idea, they could build a flood warning system like the Iowa Flood Information System, which is considered one of the best in the country. After a record-breaking 2008 flood, the state legislature set aside about $1.2 million a year for the University of Iowa to develop a statewide flood monitoring system. University scientists deployed nearly 300 low-cost stream and river gauges on unwatched waterways. They combined those observations with USGS river gauges, radar data on rainfall and local hydrologic models that predict how water will move through Iowa’s soil, streams and cement. Eventually, they created an online map that gives visitors a real-time look at water levels in rivers across the state and forecasts for future flooding that update every few minutes.

Over the course of the Iowa Geological Survey’s life at the University of Iowa, it has worked on nearly 200 research projects related to the state’s geology and water resources. The survey came to the UI in 2014 after initially living as a bureau within the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Since then, it has worked on 186 projects that have taken its researchers to nearly every county in the state.

As the nitrate removal facility at Des Moines Water Works continues to be in operation, Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) is sharing its plan to build and expand operations in the future.