Cut to the Chase -- Eden along the Missouri

The Garden of Eden, in my mind, has always looked something like a cornfield in late June. Just before tasseling, when the corn is at its darkest green, perhaps even blue, and if you listen really close, you can almost hear it grow. Perhaps it is a field along the Missouri River, where the rows run long and straight.
To others, the Garden of Eden is a Missouri River that meanders from bluff to bluff, surrounded by land untouched by human hands. Those contrasting visions clashed in Jefferson City on June 11th, at a meeting of the Missouri Clean Water Commission (MCWC), and the decision that group makes will move us closer to one vision or the other.
In 2007, the Commission stopped the U.S. Corps of Engineers from dumping soil into the Missouri River. The Corps was digging a chute along the river near Jameson Island to help create what the Corps calls Shallow Water Habitat. In theory, the establishment of these areas will increase the population of the endangered pallid sturgeon.
The Commission stopped the project because the Corps was dumping the soil removed from the chute into the river. The Commission is charged with protecting the waters of Missouri from the sort of discharges that the Corps was making, and the Commission was correct in their decision to put a halt to the project.
The river finished the job that the Corps had started, and a chute is in place. There is no evidence that the chute is increasing the population of pallid sturgeon, the stated aim of the project. Not only that, waters moving through the chute are causing damage to a levee on the other side of the river. The chute cannot remain in its present position, as it will eventually cause the levee to fail. The question that the Commission must decide is what will be done with the soil removed from the redirected chute. Missouri Farm Bureau has asked that the soil not be dumped in the river, while the Corps would prefer to allow one million cubic yards of soil to enter the river.
Missouri taxpayers and the federal government are spending millions of dollars to fight soil erosion in order to protect the Missouri River, the Mississippi Basin, and the Gulf of Mexico from the damage done by excess nutrients flowing into the river. Farmers all across our state work hard to prevent erosion. That conservation ethic is something of which we farmers are proud. It’s extremely difficult for us to understand a project that will negate so much hard work and expense by the farmers and the taxpayers of this state and nation. If the Corps is allowed to dump the soil into the river, it is hard to see a net benefit to the environment. Most groups favoring the project would argue excess nutrients are causing damage to the Gulf of Mexico, yet they favor allowing the Corps to dump a million cubic yards of nutrient rich soil into waters leading directly to the Gulf.
By the time this project is complete, the taxpayers will have spent over $100,000 per acre to recreate some people’s version of Eden. If the Corps is allowed to complete their long-term recovery plan, which includes similar projects all along the river, the total bill will be billions of dollars. Let’s spend some time thinking about how we spend our nation’s dwindling resources before we continue building a multi-billion dollar monument to the pallid sturgeon. This fish stimulus package is a non-starter, and it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
The public comment period on this issue ends June 30. Please send your written comments favoring alternative 3 to the MCWC and Corps at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, Mo., 65102.

(Blake Hurst, of Westboro, Mo., is the president of Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.)

Gov. Nixon commits to rebuilding Missouri River levees

During a visit to St. Joseph this afternoon, Gov. Jay Nixon said his administration is committed to helping rebuild levees along the Missouri River that have been damaged by record flooding this year. The Governor also announced that he will attend a meeting with upstream governors on flood-control issues scheduled to take place this Friday in Omaha.

“Over the past several months, historic releases of water from upstream reservoirs have placed unprecedented pressure and stress on levees across Missouri,” Gov. Nixon said. “These levees protect communities, vital infrastructure and some of the most productive farmland in the world. As the water falls over the coming weeks and months, we must complete an accurate assessment of the damage and move quickly to repair, rebuild and strengthen our levees.”

Gov. Nixon has announced his intention to call a special session of the Missouri General Assembly in September to take up a number of vital measures to create jobs, grow the economy and move Missouri forward. One of the session’s key priorities will be to develop a plan to pay for necessary repairs and rebuilding along hundreds of miles of damaged levees across Missouri and to support disaster recovery in other parts of the state.

Also today, Gov. Nixon announced that on Friday, he will join the governors of upstream Missouri River states for the meeting on flood control.

“The state of Missouri’s position on river management is clear: Flood control must be the top priority,” Gov. Nixon said. “I’m looking forward to this opportunity to emphasize that priority with my fellow governors from the upstream states.”

Gov. Nixon and the other governors also will have the opportunity to question Brigadier Gen. John R. McMahon, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers northwest district, about the decisions and factors that led to this historic flood.

Gov. Nixon made his announcement today at the Remington Nature Center in St. Joseph, where on June 2, he advised Missourians to prepare for imminent flooding. At that time, the Governor reported that all six major reservoirs along the upper Missouri River were at capacity, and that additional rainfall and snowmelt within the watershed would worsen the situation.

On June 8, Gov. Nixon ordered the Missouri National Guard to serve as the state’s lead agency on flood preparedness and fighting. In response to this order, the Guard deployed hundreds of Citizen-Soldiers to fill and place sandbags, inspect levees and support local efforts. Citizen-Soldiers continue to perform security and traffic patrols in northwest Missouri.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now releasing 150,000 cubic feet per second from the Gavins Point Dam, and will continue to release this rate through Aug. 18. Beginning Aug. 18, flows will decrease by 5,000 cubic feet per second per day until they reach the rate of 90,000 cubic feet per second. Today’s release rate is still more than twice the previous record.

McCaskill Presses Corps to Stop Sending Letters Seeking Land Purchases

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is working to stop poorly timed letters that the Army Corps is sending to landowners impacted by the record flooding. These letters, intended to gauge landowners’ interest in selling all or part of their land to the federal government for the purposes of fish and wildlife habitat restoration, have been sent despite the fact that residents along the Missouri River basin have been struggling to fight historic flooding for the past several weeks.

The issue was widely discussed during McCaskill’s visit to flooded areas in Northwest Missouri this past weekend. In a letter to Brigadier General John McMahon, Commander and Division Engineer of the Northwestern Division of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), McCaskill calls for the Corps to stop issuing letters to landowners during this extraordinary event.

McCaskill further stressed that this is a trying time for many communities and residents along the river’s reach, and it’s improper for the Corps to issue such letters when those affected continue to work around the clock trying to prevent the loss of their livelihoods.

Missouri DOT Closing Roads from Missouri River Flooding

Atchison County:
Route V near the Iowa state line is now underwater and closed to all traffic. Interstate 29 is narrowed to one northbound lane at the Missouri 123 mile markernorth to the .9 mile marker in Iowa. The northbound driving lane is closed to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to place sandbags along the shoulder. The northbound passing lane will remain open to traffic at this time. For more information about this or other projects being handled by MoDOT, please call our toll-free customer service hotline at: 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (1-888-275-6636).

A Moment with Mike -- Spirit of Cooperation

Our state has been hit hard in recent weeks with flooding in Southeast Missouri, devastating tornadoes in Joplin and Sedalia, earthquakes and, of course, the flooding and threat of continued flooding right here in Northwest Missouri. It has been a trying time for the many families who have been displaced from their homes and for those who have lost loved ones to the ferocious weather. But through it all, the people of this great state have shown their resilience in the wake of tragedy and their compassion as so many have come together to provide support to those in need. In fact, we have seen so many Missourians offer their support to the survivors of the Joplin tornado that the recovery effort has been overwhelmed by volunteers and donations. It is a great reminder of the kind of people we have here in the Show-Me-State, thoughtful and compassionate folks who care about their neighbors and are willing to lend a hand when it’s needed.
That spirit of cooperation and willingness to make sacrifices of time, money, equipment and all types of resources can be illustrated no better than the efforts that are underway right here in Northwest Missouri to contain the Missouri river and minimize the damage from floodwaters that are inevitable. Community leaders have stepped up and the coordinated activities, planning, sandbagging and the removal of personal property from the endangered areas has been underway for weeks. I am proud of these resilient citizens and the positive attitude they exhibit in these times of extreme hardship but saddened by the fact that we seem to be powerless against the factors that put us in harms way far too often.
Along with the economic loss of thousands of acres of crops, many could suffer substantial losses of personal property, homes and businesses. Big Lake State Park could very well be under water for the second year in a row and small towns are threatened. I admire those who go back every year and clean up, rebuild and re-establish their homes and business but I fear that the ever increasing re-occurrence will take its toll and all of Northwest Missouri will be the loser. The futile attempts to change the regulations and priorities of the Corp of Engineers seems to have left us vulnerable to any unexpected variation in weather patterns, excessive rain or snow. The top priority of flood control has given way to recreation, power generation, water supply and even endangered species. The continued attempts to change this pattern by elected officials at the state and federal level has been uneffective.
I am proud to say, however, that the state of Missouri has been as responsive as possible and according to local government officials in Holt and Atchison counties, the state entities from the Governor down to the Water Patrol, Highway Patrol, SEMA, Red Cross and even the National Guard are doing everything they can to assist.
I recently learned that I will be a part of an Interim Committee on Disaster Recovery that will investigate and assess ways that our state can become even more responsive and I’m sure that we will try to find ways to be more financially supportive as well. We will be providing a report with recommendations to the General Assembly by December 31st.
If you have questions, you may reach me at my Capitol number 573-751-9465, at the local district number, 660-582-4014, by email at mike.thomson@house.mo.gov or by mail at Room 401B State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

Graves Asks Corps to Slow Down Releases

U.S. Congressman Sam Graves has asked the Corps of Engineers to slow down their plans to release record amounts of water from upstream dams later this month. In a phone call Tuesday evening to Brigadier General John McMahon, Graves expressed his concern that the water being released upstream will likely result in significant flooding in Missouri.

“Everyone understands that the Corps has to release water,” said Graves. “However, the volume set to come downstream right now will amount to a man-made natural disaster. I want to find out if there is any extra capacity that can be used upstream.”

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. The amount of water in the Missouri River will likely top several levees throughout Missouri. Graves said he wants the Corps to take a second look at all their options.

“The answer is not to simply release more water and create larger floods downstream,” said Graves. “The impact on farmers and landowners all along the Missouri is going to be tremendous if they carry out this plan. I am urging the Corps to hold as much water as possible upstream.”

Graves did not get an immediate answer from the Corps on whether they will reexamine the situation.