Corps considers an additional floodway

The Army Corps of Engineers is looking at building a new floodway on the Mississippi River.

The Corps utilized three of its four floodways on the Mississippi this spring, including the Birds Point floodway in southeast Missouri.

The Corps designed its original management plan in the 1930s. It includes two floodways in southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana, according to Corps spokesperson Bob Anderson.

“They were both disapproved by the states and the local citizens living in those two areas. It would just be one additional floodway, but we’re not sure exactly where that would be located,” Andersaid.

The Corps is currently building a temporary levee to protect the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway from additional flooding. River levels are expected to increase due to flooding on the Missouri River and a rising Ohio River.

Anderson says that initial estimates to rebuild the system range from 700 million and 1.4 billion dollars. Those estimates could go as high as 2 billion dollars once the remaining floodwaters pass through the system.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Corps: Missouri River flooding won't affect lower Mississippi

The Army Corps of Engineers says that flooding on the Missouri River will not cause additional flooding on the Lower Mississippi River. The Corps also says that Missouri River flooding will not cause more floodwater to enter the Birds Point New Madrid floodway unless a significant amount of rain falls on the region.

In a press release, the Corps states that river levels should continue to fall at Cairo. River levels at Cairo would return to flood stage only with 5 to 7 inches of rain over a widespread area on the lower Missouri, middle Mississippi, or middle or lower Ohio River.

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