RIVERSIDE — Kate Giannini’s work on flood resilience has taken her from small-town Iowa to the Netherlands this winter, where she is using a Fulbright exchange to help bring a Dutch flood-planning tool to an Iowa community for the first time.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Central Iowa is once again seeing elevated nitrate levels in its rivers, this time in the middle of winter.

For decades, the University of Iowa’s IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering (IIHR) has been at the forefront of research in water science and environmental engineering. Visionary scholars, including Witold Krajewski and Jerry Schnoor, have become pillars of the field, shaping global perspectives of hydrology, climate resilience, and sustainable water systems. Now, as they transition into retirement, IIHR is entering a new era, building upon the momentum of fresh energy and bold ideas.

Farm ponds in Iowa, built primarily for flood-control purposes, are designed and constructed for an expected lifespan, based on expected sedimentation rates. New research, led by a team from the Iowa Geological Survey, set out to determine how actual sedimentation rates correlate with the ponds’ original predicted longevity

Small ponds and lakes dominate the distribution of global water bodies and have many ecological benefits. In the Midwest United States, ponds have been constructed to aid the reduction of sediment export from watersheds and for flood control purposes.

Steve Burian, executive director of the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), and Erin White, associate director of science and research operations, traveled to Iowa City to discuss the future direction of the program and how IIHR and the Iowa Flood Center can best support its research priorities.

Vanessa Robledo, a civil and environmental engineering PhD candidate, has received the first-ever Iowa Flood Center Scholarship—a well-deserved recognition of her exceptional contributions to advancing flash flood forecasting capabilities, working with Professor Humberto Vergara.

For his commitment to serving communities and preparing for future disasters, Ayala was appointed to serve on the National Advisory Council for the Federal Emergency Management Agency on December 31, 2024. A few weeks later the entire council was dismissed by the Department of Homeland Security.

Corn dominates U.S. farmland and fuels the ethanol industry. But the fertilizer it relies on drives emissions and fouls drinking water.

Nitrate concentrations, exacerbated by a wet spring that followed years of dry conditions, reached near record highs in Iowa rivers this summer. Concentrations are typically elevated in the summer. The past several years, nitrates have dropped to near-zero concentrations in late summer through early winter. But this year, concentrations in rivers and in central Iowa’s drinking water have remained high.