Managing the Missouri River
In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson sent two men on an expedition to explore the interior of the country, then known as the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark set off from St. Louis up the Missouri River looking for a northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean. They did not find it. This was not the last time that the Missouri River would confound our government.
Last week, the Corps of Engineers announced that it would increase the volume of water being released from dams along the river to historic levels. The problem began last year with record snowfall and was made worse this spring by heavy rains in the upper basin. By mid-June, record flows on the Missouri are projected to increase to about 150,000 cubic feet per second. This release will likely top several levees throughout Missouri.
For the past few years, flooding along the Missouri has become an annual problem. This year, however, the amount of water headed downstream may cause the type of flooding not seen since 1993.
Last week, I called the Brigadier General in charge and asked him to slow down the planned releases. The impact on farmers and landowners all along the Missouri is going to be tremendous if they carry out this plan.
We need to change the way the Missouri River is managed. Instead of being concerned with recreation upstream, we need protect farms, homes and businesses downstream that lose millions from these disasters. With catastrophic floods headed our way, it's clear that what we are doing now does not work
Sincerely,
