DisastersCorps: absolute flood protection along the Missouri River is impossible

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report said that absolute flood protection along the Missouri River is impossible, so the basin needs to prepare and plan for flooding in the future.

“All of us bear a shared responsibility for reducing flood risk,” the report said.

The corps says it bears responsibility for the Missouri River flood last year, and acknowledges that it is now responsible for implementing lessons learned from the flood.

Omaha.com reports that extreme rainfall and snowmelt unleashed a vast amount of water from Montana to Missouri which led to flooding that lasted five months and caused billions of dollars in damage. Victims and political leaders declared that disaster like that should never happen again.

The Corps, however, said it cannot guarantee that floods of such magnitude can be prevented. Michael Coffey, a corps spokeswoman at Northwestern Division Headquarters in Portland, Oregon, told Omaha.com that,: “There will always be residual risk…. But we can learn and explore ways to reduce that risk.”

The Corps released the “Missouri River Flood 2011 Vulnerabilities Assessment Report” last week, as a follow up to an independent report by an external panel of hydrologists and other experts who reviewed the Corps’ water management operations during the flood.

The report said that the system of dams, reservoirs, and levees generally functioned as designed and their management prevented nearly $8.2 billion in damage. Still, a number of improvements must be made to reduce the likelihood and consequences of future floods. The corps said it is on track to make improvements to whether forecasting, communications, collaborations, and additional changes to make sure the system is maintained and operated.

Omaha.com notes that the most important post-flood repairs were completed last spring before the runoff season; the work is not completed, however, as the existing system will still be vulnerable to flooding during extreme events when completely repaired.

Improving flood-control storage, increasing the ability of the river to carry more water, and reducing encroachment in the flood plain are three ways to reduce flood risk, according to the report. State and local governments can also make a contribution with tighter land-use management and regulation of development in designated flood plains.

According to Colonel Anthony Funkhauser, division commander, the changes will require time, commitment, a lasting vision, perseverance, and, as always, money from people who live along the river up to Congress.

“Ultimately, what is done will be our legacy to future generations who live and work in the Missouri River basin, in part borne out of what we learned in 2011,” Funkhauser told Omaha.com.