Flood of 1993: Timeline

Timeline          Photo Gallery          15 second video clip

Thursday, July 8, 1993
Between 8 and 10 inches of rain fell in the upper watershed of the Raccoon River.

Friday, July 9, 1993
DMWW began flood-fighting preparations in the morning, expecting a crest of 19 feet by Tuesday, July 13.

Saturday, July 10, 1993
By 9 a.m., the water plant had become an island behind its levee, 25 feet above the normal river stage.
By 1:00 a.m., the breaches in the levee were closed and chemical supplies were ordered. Water levels were expected to reach 16 feet, rendering the plant an island in the middle of the Raccoon River by sometime Monday, July 12.
At 3:00 p.m., the weather bureau predicted a crest of 21 feet. The levees still provided 4 feet of protection. Flood preparations continued.
About 10:00 p.m., Saturday, the river level reading was 22.5 feet.

Sunday, July 11, 1993 - Day 1
At 1:00 a.m., DMWW staff members watched as the water continued to rise. Workers continued to reinforce the levee.
At 3:02 a.m. DMWW's Treatment Plant flooded. The Director of Water Production, standing ankle-deep in water with 4,160 volts of power all around him, requested the authority to shut down the plant. The request was granted.
The Raccoon River crested at the historic level of 26.75 feet.
At 7:00 a.m., DMWW staff met to plan the recovery of the Treatment Plant.

Monday, July 12, 1993 - Day 2
De-watering of the Treatment Plant began.
Customer Service and office operations were set up at Hoover High School .

Tuesday, July 13, 1993 - Day 3
Cleaning and repairs begin at the Treatment Plant: 50 DMWW employees, 20 electrical contractors, 4 mechanical contractors, 9 contracted workers cleaning the petroleum spill from the pumps, 2 people from the Corps of Engineers assisting with the levee system, and 100 National Guardsmen adding sandbags to the levee.

Wednesday, July 14, 1993 - Day 4
The Treatment Plant is de-watered and pumps were sent to a local machine shop for cleaning and drying.

Thursday, July 15, 1993 - Day 5
The plant was treating water with a chlorine residual of 3-5 milligrams per liter (mg/l) for disinfection purposes. DMWW's typically has a chlorine residual average of 0.3-0.4 mg/l.
The large emergency generator was operated and efforts to flush the clearwell began.
Residents were asked to turn off all water services.

Friday, July 16, 1993 - Day 6
The first pump was operating. The Treatment Plant was back in service with many temporary operations in place.

Saturday, July 17, 1993 - Day 7
The second pump was operated and the third and final motor was ready to go.

Sunday, July 18, 1993 - Day 8
DMWW began pumping water into the distribution system.

Thursday, July 22, 1993 - Day 12
Water service is restored to 4 zones within the metropolitan area for flushing toilets, taking showers and baths, and cleaning flood debris.

Thursday, July 29, 1993 - Day 19
The water is once again declared safe for drinking.

Monday, August 9, 1993
All water use restrictions are removed and customers begin using water as needed.