The capacities for Dubuque’s stormwater detention basins were established in the early 1990s. Since that time, annual rainfall has outpaced predictions and is expected to increase in the coming decades. The City and area watershed administrators are considering redesigning existing detention basins while also understanding the capacities for future ones.

Students in Civil and Environmental Engineering created plans for an affordable housing subdivision on five parcels of land in Maquoketa. The project includes stormwater management and remediation of a hazardous chemical. 

As part of their Senior Design Capstone course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students created plans for a new stormwater utility to establish an equitable system to charge customers. 

Students in a course in the School of Planning and Public Affairs developed recommendations for revitalizing Clinton's alleyways with improved pavers, public art, and other modifications.

Downtown alleyways often serve important functions, such as waste management or service entrances for businesses. However, communities are increasingly recognizing alleyways as opportunities to create unique public spaces while also improving water runoff.

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students will evaluate and design a municipal dock along the Mississippi River for the City of Sabula, Iowa. 

Clinic law students, who are second or third-year students at the University of Iowa College of Law participating in the Community Empowerment Law Project (CELP), worked with Maquoketa River WMA officials to improve organizational effectiveness and develop strategies to help achieve short and long terms organizational goals. 

Department of Cinematic Arts student Andrew Senneff created a short informational film about the Maquoketa River Watershed, with the goal of educating the public about the importance of watershed management. 

As part of the ICIGO student organization within the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, students created an interactive GIS map for the Maquoketa River watershed. The students used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools to make a user-friendly map showing important features of the watershed. 

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, a group of students completed engineering plans for the redesign of a riverside constructed wetland and a 12-acre flood plain and prairie in Monticello, Iowa. 

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students completed an evaluation and redesign of a land use master plan for undeveloped land in Maquoketa, Iowa. 

Civil & Environmental Engineering students designed stormwater management facilities to improve stormwater quality and promote habitat growth. 

As part of their Senior Design Capstone course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students created designs for flood impact mitigation measures in Bellevue, Iowa, including culvert improvements, drainage channels, and residentail flood walls.