Iowa Commission on the Status of Women: 35th Annual Report - 2006

Iowa Commission on the Status of Women: 35th Annual Report - 2006 The ICSW is proud of the past year’s achievements, and pleased to present to you our 35th Annual Report. The following pages detail the activities and programs that were carried out in 2006. The ICSW celebrates the progress in women’s rights that has been made in Iowa, and continues to address inequities, advocating for full participation by women in the economic, social, and political life of the state. In this advocacy role, as mandated by the Code of Iowa, we educate, inform, and develop new ideas to bring a fresh viewpoint to bear on the issues facing Iowa women and their families.

Evaluation of Control Structures for Stabilizing Degrading Stream Channels in Western Iowa, Phases II and III, HR-208A, 1985

Since the turn of the century, tributaries to the Missouri River in western Iowa have entrenched their channels to as much as six times their original depth. This channel degradation is accompanied by widening as the channel side slopes become unstable and landslides occur. The deepening and widening of these streams have endangered about 25% of the highway bridges in 13 counties [Lohnes et al. 1980]. Grade stabilization structures have been recommended as the most effective remedial measure for stream degradation [Brice et al., 1978]. In western Iowa, within the last seven years, reinforced concrete grade stabilization structures have cost between $300,000 and $1,200,000. Recognizing that the high cost of these structures may be prohibitive in many situations, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) sponsored a study at Iowa State University (ISU) to find low-cost alternative structures. This was Phase I of the stream degradation study. Analytical and laboratory work led to the conclusion that alternative construction materials such as gabions and soil-cement might result in more economical structures [Lohnes et al. 1980]. The ISU study also recommended that six experimental structures be built and their performance evaluated. Phase II involved the design of the demonstration structures, and Phase III included monitoring and evaluating their performance.