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 July 21, 2011

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Why the Flood of 2011 Is Different ThanFloods of the Past

As I write, the floods affecting so much of ourarea is heavy on my mind. Unlike in 1993, weare not piling sandbags in the rain. Today’sfloods are the direct side effect of governmentgone wild.

Today, boils and seep water have already ruinedthousands of acres of crops. And tired levees,not built to withstand weeks of the Big Muddy’scurrent volume, are at a daily risk of giving way.

Unlike most “natural disasters,” this one couldhave been avoided. That reality makes this atougher pill to swallow on neighbors who havehomes and livelihoods threatened by the water.Soon, local residents may boat their wayalongside the tops of electric poles to find their

century farm, while bureaucrats continue to putfish and birds over the needs of everydayMissourians.

The 2011 flood started in late May, when theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced theywould begin dumping thousands of gallons of 

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water every day at Gavins Point Dam, along theNebraska-South Dakota border.

On June 1, the Corps was releasing 80,000 cubicfeet of water per second. By June 15, the

amount nearly doubled to approximately150,000 cubic feet per second. In addition, the150,000 cubic feet per second release willcontinue through August.

There are 7.48 gallons in every cubic foot of water. For a visual, consider the water towers inthe local communities of Atlanta, Slater,Waverly, Norborne and Lawson. All that waterstorage is near the amount the Corps willpurposefully release into the river EACH second.Hopefully, by then, the threat will have passed,but the damage will already be done.

Corps officials blamed this year’s flood on theexcessive rainfall between May and June, fartherupstream. Why the water was not releasedearlier from these dams is beyond me. And, if cold weather and ice are to blame, appropriatemeasures should be taken now to invest inproper plans and technology to avoid this from

ever happening again.

While many Missourians have been leery aboutreviewing the way the river is managed, it doesnot seem it could get much worse. The currentmanagement plan that the Corps has in place isalso a culprit. Every year, we talk about thespring rise and every year, and there is a clashof ideas between the Corps and just abouteverybody else.

It is important to note, the federal governmentis spending $73 million on wildlife restoration,but only $6 million on operations andmaintenance of the Missouri River. I do not mindtaking care of God’s creation, but puttinghumans last is no way to operate.

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This year’s flooding puts the spotlight on theCorps once again, and a lot more folks arelistening than ever before. I am sure a solutionwill be reached, but it is sad that it will takeanother prolonged, man-made flood to get

something done.

Senator Stouffer serves the counties of Carroll,Chariton, Cooper, Howard, Lafayette, Macon, Ray,

Saline, and a part of Clay.

If you have questions or comments about this or anyother issue, please call toll free (866) 768-3987 or by

e-mail at bstouffer@senate.mo.gov. 

bstouffer@senate.mo.gov | www.senate.mo.gov/stoufferState Capitol, Room 332, Jefferson City, MO 65101 | (866) 768-3987