DES MOINES, Iowa - The Des Moines City Council is setting aside money to upgrade the Birdland Levee. The council approved $223,000 for design work on levee repairs Monday night.
The full completion of repairs could cost the city another $4 million.
The levee protects North High School and homes in the Union Park neighborhood, which was devastated by floods in 1993 and 2008. It's now suffering from "under seepage" where water is flowing beneath the levee, which could cause damage.
The Army Corp of Engineers is set to spend between $3 million and $12 million on Birdland Levee upgrades, with the city of Des Moines being responsible for about a third of the cost.