Dubuque Mayor Shares Bee Branch Project Insights with Canadian Communities 

MARCH 28, 2025

Dubuque Mayor Brad Cavanagh recently returned from Quebec, Canada, where he spoke to a group of over 100 about Dubuque’s Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project.  

The forum, entitled “Living with Floods,” was hosted by Vivre en Ville, a Canadian public interest organization that contributes to the development of sustainable communities throughout the province of Quebec. Vivre en Ville invited Cavanagh and covered the majority of travel costs for this trip.  

Forum attendees represented communities from throughout Quebec and several other Canadian provinces that deal with flooding issues. Presentations and panels focused on integrated planning of built living environments in flood zones. Cavanagh was one of two keynote speakers and his presentation focused on the Bee Branch Project’s multi-faceted approach to not only mitigate flash flooding, but also improve water quality, stimulate investment, and enhance the quality of life within the Bee Branch Watershed. 

“Flooding is a significant issue for communities in that region, and Dubuque’s success in dealing with similar challenges really resonated with the forum attendees,” said Cavanagh. “They were very impressed with the Bee Branch Project story and the comprehensive approach to not only stormwater infrastructure, but to also address the long-term impacts of chronic flooding to homes and residents.” 

Cavanagh was the only American presenter and spoke for 30 minutes before fielding questions from attendees for an additional 15 minutes. He said he expects a delegation to visit Dubuque in-person to learn more about the Bee Branch Project. 

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MEDIA CONTACT
Randy Gehl, Public Information Officer
rgehl@cityofdubuque.org, 563.589.4151