DES MOINES, Iowa — The City of Des Moines has recovered from the flooding in 2018, but it hasn’t forgotten about it, and neither have city leaders.

“That event really lit a fire under Council to say ‘we need to do more.’ And they really took it to heart and they were going to do more,” Patrick Beane, Clean Water Program Administrator for the city, said.

Des Moines launched its Stormwater Master Plan right then and there, sinking tens of millions of dollars into newer storm sewers (who can forget all that roadwork) and stormwater retention areas like Closes Creek in Beaverdale and Hamilton Drain in Highland Park. The city also spent millions buying out frequently-flooded homes in places like Four Mile Creek on the east side. That floodplain can now function the way nature intended.

City leaders admit those projects were a short-term pain for residents, but now they’re paying long-term dividends by protection property.

“What we’re seeing less of is we’re seeing less flooding of buildings,” Beane explained. “We’re seeing street flooding, still, but we’re not seeing houses being inundated or stuff being submerged as much.”

The city still has a long way to go. The master plan still has another 15 projects to complete around town and another $125 million to spend on them. But it’s perhaps reassuring to see some proof that it’s maybe worth the fuss.