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06-01-2011, 07:10 AM   #1
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Floods to Come on the Missouri River

Pierre, South Dakota, where I live, is located a couple of miles downstream from the second largest rolled-earth dam in the world. There is another dam 40 or so miles below us, and numerous other dams all along the Missouri River. The dams and waterways in the U.S are managed by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Back story: This region has had way above previous record snow fall and rain, particularly way up river in Montana and Wyoming.
Current problem: The Corps of Engineers apparently forgot that the snow was going to melt at some point this Spring, and didn't release enough water earlier to make room for the inflow. The normal outflow for the water is about 30,000 cubic feet per second. The current outflow is 85cfs (the previous record was 59), and Thursday they will go to 110; by Tuesday it will be 150,000cfs. 2 1/2 times the amount they have ever released before.
My house is well above the predicted flood level and completely safe, my shop is right on the edge, and the entire downtown area is now sandbagged. Several hundred homes in Pierre, and Fort Pierre (other side of the river) are with certainty, according to the Corps of Engineers going to be flooded.
After 9/11/2001 we were warned that Oahe dam, because of it's significance in the region, could be the target of terrorist attacks. The attacks by terrorists never came, of course; so The U.S. Army is going to do it for them.


Last edited by Parallax; 06-02-2011 at 01:22 PM.
06-01-2011, 07:30 AM   #2
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They really need to get the Army out of that business.... They've proven over and over again that they haven't got a clue and this year has been a particularly poorly run cluster...

Good luck Jim! Hope they manage to exceed expectations and actually save people's homes and businesses.

Mike
06-01-2011, 08:19 AM   #3
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Good luck, Jim... Flooding's a rough time for all.

Mike, as much as I dislike the Corps (a matter of philosophy about damming vs natural flows...), I have to take their side on this one. The construction of the dams on the upper Missouri River was Congress' fault, the CoE is just the manager agency. And, they have a record or near-record snowpack to handle, along with the usual multitude of competing voices yelling for attention as they try to strike a balance.

Farmers don't want their fields flooded (ever). Towns are afraid of flooding (always). Irrigators don't want to be left dry at the end of the summer when the natural supplies decrease. The Corps doesn't want any dams to fail. Barge operators don't want the river to drop below a minimum level they desire to move freight up & down river. Wildlife (some endangered/protected, some not) needs certain flow regimes for creating and preserving specific habitat niches. Various fish species need the same thing as far as flow regimes. Upstream states (the ones with the dams) want the reservoirs managed with recreation (i.e. $$$$) as a priority, while downstream states care about nothing but the flood control aspects.

AND, along with all that, the Corps has to figure out the least harmful way to make room for all that snow that is melting in the Rockies and working its way downstream to fill up those reservoirs to capacity and beyond.

Would I want the Missouri River manager job? Hell no, I have enough stress in my life!

(side note - I lived in Omaha for 27 yrs, I work with water information (though not in the CoE) for a living, and I know something of the bloodthirsty cut-throat politics of managing water...)

Jim
06-01-2011, 12:14 PM   #4
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Just a note.... it's not the "Corp of Engineers" I object to so much as the ARMY part of it. Way past time for the Army to get out of the Dam business

06-01-2011, 12:56 PM   #5
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All the best, Jim. Hope everything works out well for you and yours.
06-01-2011, 02:15 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by MRRiley Quote
Just a note.... it's not the "Corp of Engineers" I object to so much as the ARMY part of it. Way past time for the Army to get out of the Dam business
Ah. That I can agree with Large-scale civil-engineering =/= military engineering needs... Another holdover from the 18th century.

But, until Congress decrees that the dams come down and the rivers return to their "natural" state, somebody's got to run them. As it stands, the choice would be between the CoE, BuRec, or state/private entities (and if that were the case I don't even want to think about the politics and bloodshed...). Not much in the way of good choices there, IMO...

Jim
06-01-2011, 02:19 PM   #7
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Best of luck, Jim!

06-02-2011, 04:51 AM   #8
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Well, that helps to put some perspective on what trouble might look like ... hopefully the situation works out without a disaster.
06-02-2011, 06:00 AM   #9
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Take care Jim.
Thinking and praying for you and the family during the uncertain times ahead.
Be safe.
06-02-2011, 10:05 AM   #10
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Good luck, for you and your town, Jim, and I guess particularly your shop. Are you thinking of sandbagging?

Maybe you could have a sale on waterproof items, to try and lighten the mood.
06-02-2011, 11:20 AM   #11
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Thanks for the thoughts, everybody. My gut tells me the water isn't going to come this high; but, as hard as it may be to believe, I have been wrong before.

QuoteOriginally posted by Ratmagiclady Quote
Are you thinking of sandbagging?
Pretty much all of downtown is sandbagged, but since almost all of the buildings have basements, I have serious doubts as to the efficacy of sandbagging.

I also sell inflatable kayaks. I would have thought they would become really popular all of a sudden, but...........
06-02-2011, 11:57 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by RoxnDox Quote
Congress decrees that the dams come down and the rivers return to their "natural" state,
This pic is what we all used to have before corp channelized those river
system's(both Mississippi and Missouri).This is at confluence of those rivers.
Its a buffer,mostly just cattails and bullrushes for the most part until the water
starts to rise,then their relavence in ecosytem is demonstrated.These area's
are gone.The corp built levees,dikes and all sorts of contraptions to shorten those
rivers into the quickest run to gulf above all else.After the corp built those things
and reclaimed (as they say) rich alluvial river bottom which is second to none
in terms of agricultural yield and done at taxpayer expence,was that property
created,sold at fair market value?,doubt it.Would those people that farm that
ground now be willing to return to the past?,doubt it.Adusting levels for sturgeon
and common terns has had some succes,been wiped out by poaching
and chuckel-heads on ATV's
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06-02-2011, 12:24 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
Thanks for the thoughts, everybody. My gut tells me the water isn't going to come this high; but, as hard as it may be to believe, I have been wrong before.

Pretty much all of downtown is sandbagged, but since almost all of the buildings have basements, I have serious doubts as to the efficacy of sandbagging.

I also sell inflatable kayaks. I would have thought they would become really popular all of a sudden, but...........
Hee. As for the sandbags, I understand they can help: it's harder for floodwater to just seep in as opposed to pouring in, as long as the drains to the sewers have back-flow valves (I forget what they're called,) in good order and there's no other odd ways in, there's a good chance it can help. If the basement floods in heavy rain, maybe not so much.
06-02-2011, 01:17 PM   #14
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Jim, I hope your town, you and your family are not hit too much. Regards from Germany
06-06-2011, 02:11 PM   #15
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The mighty MO broke flood stage down here in Sioux City IA this AM. glad you are ok, I am far enough away in Lawton IA but my employer is close. time will tell
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