Blasting Levee In Missouri Is That The Best Fed Gov't Can Do!

[JimofPennsylvan]

The Army Corp of Engineers blasted an opening in a levee along the Mississippi River in Missouri to protect the city of Cairo Illinois in the last twwenty-four hours; however, in doing so they flooded one-hundred and thirty thousand acres of rich farm land. This cost shouldn't sit well with the American people there is currently a grain commodity supply shortage in the nation and in the world, America desperately needed the crop production from these 130,000 acres this year! One can't really fault the senior official at the Army Corp of Engineers that ordered the blowing of the levee because the water level was one foot from the top of the levee protecting the city of Cairo.



The American people can fault the government system that exists that would bring about such a costly solution to protecting a small city. Obviously, there is a need to build bigger and stronger levees along the Mississippi river to protect against the flood season but how about creating a system of many release outlets along the Missippi River to protect against flooding something more that the current creation of having flood plains where homes and farm land are sacrificed to prevent greater harms but create channels off the Missippi to move the water to reservoirs and lakes existing and new ones. For that matter, why can't a system be devised where the width of the Missippi river is expanded during the flood season so that the speed of the river is accellerated and the water level against the levees doesn't rise so fast, of course this would cause a trade-off as more undesirable substances would be carried into coastal estuaries however especially over the long-term maybe the harm would be negligable, the nation should be able to do better here!

 

[martybegan]

The Army Corp of Engineers blasted an opening in a levee along the Mississippi River in Missouri to protect the city of Cairo Illinois in the last twwenty-four hours; however, in doing so they flooded one-hundred and thirty thousand acres of rich farm land. This cost shouldn't sit well with the American people there is currently a grain commodity supply shortage in the nation and in the world, America desperately needed the crop production from these 130,000 acres this year! One can't really fault the senior official at the Army Corp of Engineers that ordered the blowing of the levee because the water level was one foot from the top of the levee protecting the city of Cairo.



The American people can fault the government system that exists that would bring about such a costly solution to protecting a small city. Obviously, there is a need to build bigger and stronger levees along the Mississippi river to protect against the flood season but how about creating a system of many release outlets along the Missippi River to protect against flooding something more that the current creation of having flood plains where homes and farm land are sacrificed to prevent greater harms but create channels off the Missippi to move the water to reservoirs and lakes existing and new ones. For that matter, why can't a system be devised where the width of the Missippi river is expanded during the flood season so that the speed of the river is accellerated and the water level against the levees doesn't rise so fast, of course this would cause a trade-off as more undesirable substances would be carried into coastal estuaries however especially over the long-term maybe the harm would be negligable, the nation should be able to do better here!

Blasting of certain levee's is a planned event. Installing gates in all areas increases the needed maintenance, and allows for a failure point in operations. The area in question was desginated as a possible flood plain for just this purpose. Also Cairo Illinois is only the first of many towns that will be threatened by this years flood season. The Gauge at cairo is almost 60 ft, with 40 ft considered flooding.

It isnt the best solution but its the one they are going for. Also the issue is in the upper mississipi, the use of channels and diversions only works in the lower mississipi, closer to the gulf.

Finally while this crop will be screwed, the silt added by the flood may improve the soil in the future.

Its not a great situation, but it has to be done.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Cairo is not a city. It's a slum town of 1200.

I used to live there.

Levee building is what created this issue, so the answer is not more or bigger levees. The right answer would be to get rid of them and let nature take it's course.

 

[martybegan]

Cairo is not a city. It's a slum town of 1200.

I used to live there.

Levee building is what created this issue, so the answer is not more or bigger levees. The right answer would be to get rid of them and let nature take it's course.

If you did that you would have to evacuate the entire mississipi river valley, which includes farms, cities, and a majority of america's heavy industry.

Basically what you get by blowing the levee in Missouri would happen every time there was a heavy flood.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Cairo is not a city. It's a slum town of 1200.

I used to live there.

Levee building is what created this issue, so the answer is not more or bigger levees. The right answer would be to get rid of them and let nature take it's course.

If you did that you would have to evacuate the entire mississipi river valley, which includes farms, cities, and a majority of america's heavy industry.

Basically what you get by blowing the levee in Missouri would happen every time there was a heavy flood.

People are living where they shouldn't be.

And your premise is wrong

The flood water would rise steadily vs. pouring in, in a torent, that the soil can't soak up.

 

[martybegan]

Cairo is not a city. It's a slum town of 1200.

I used to live there.

Levee building is what created this issue, so the answer is not more or bigger levees. The right answer would be to get rid of them and let nature take it's course.

If you did that you would have to evacuate the entire mississipi river valley, which includes farms, cities, and a majority of america's heavy industry.

Basically what you get by blowing the levee in Missouri would happen every time there was a heavy flood.

People are living where they shouldn't be.

And your premise is wrong

The flood water would rise steadily vs. pouring in, in a torent, that the soil can't soak up.

Rising steadily would still screw up anyone around it. And to defend themselves.... they would build levees, except you would have thousands of private competing ones instead of one overall system.

The soil cant soak up a 100 year flood, no matter how wide of an area it spreads around.


Just wait till this stuff hits the lower mississippi.