Bettendorf condo residents frustrated after mudslide floods building

BETTENDORF, Iowa (KWQC) - Heavy rainfall caused a mudslide at a Bettendorf condominium complex Monday afternoon. It happened at ‘The Manor’ condos off Kimberly Road.

The mud came from a construction site on a nearby hill.

Tuesday night at Bettendorf city council, city leaders confirmed the developer, Dan Dolan, was cited in connection to the incident. Dolan is the developer behind the Cottages at McClellan Heights project on Kimberly road.

Last summer, the Bettendorf city council voted to go ahead with developing the space next to the condos into a housing complex despite opposition from neighbors. The main concerns of the project included traffic congestion at the Lincoln Road intersection, parking, and stormwater drainage on the steep parcel of land.

On Monday, the heavy rains washed out the dirt, swiftly collecting debris as water and mud entered the complexes. Layers of mud were caked on the sidewalks, and one resident had sandbags piled outside her door.

“My place is seven buildings down and I only have mud on my sidewalk. The property at this end, however, she [a resident] couldn’t get out of her unit so I had to call the fire department and the police to come down here to help get her out but by the time they got here, the water was already receding and she was standing on top of her sandbags,” said condo resident Nancy McClusky.

“We were all concerned when this development was proposed that this would happen. I mean, many of us stood up and said ‘what are you going to do about the runoff? What are you going to do when all the trees are gone and we just have a muddy river coming down?’ They really didn’t take us seriously. I went to several planning and zoning meeting and city hall meetings. They just didn’t hear us and I don’t really think they cared. So, this is what we are living with now,” said resident Beverly Strayhall.

Due to water and mud damage, residents lost family belongings and photos. Residents and neighbors say they have reached out to the city and the construction company in the past weeks about flooding concerns but were not heard.

Under Iowa law, developers are responsible for managing erosion and stormwater on their construction sites. In Bettendorf, developers must have a construction site erosion and sediment control permit from the city before clearing the construction area. According to the city, the Bettendorf engineering division will study the permit efforts over the next several days. If deficiencies are found, citations may be issued.

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