Monday, Dec. 19, 2005
Contact: Spence Jackson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Asks Corps of Engineers to Forgo Spring Rise Experiment
JEFFERSON CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers outlining his concerns and significant shortcomings with the Corps draft Missouri River 2005-2006 Annual Operating Plan (AOP) while promising to use all available options to prevent changes in Missouri River management that could adversely impact the state’s citizens.
"This plan could devastate farm families’ crops and would further undermine environmentally friendly navigation," Blunt said. "If the Corps moves forward with this reckless plan, the State of Missouri may have no choice but to challenge their actions in court. Any plan that jeopardizes the livelihoods of Missourians is unacceptable and will be challenged."
The AOP calls for two spring rises if the total storage in the reservoir system is above 36.5 million acre-feet. The rises would occur in mid-March and May, adding as much as three feet of water to the river channel and potentially flooding tens of thousands of acres of Missouri farmland.
A planned spring rise would also limit water available in case of drought, a dangerous consequence considering recent widespread drought conditions and the resulting impact on navigation.
In his letter the governor points out the lack of evidence supporting the idea that the spring rise will actually help the pallid sturgeon, that the plan abandons the dominant purposes of flood control and navigation as stated in the Flood Control Act of 1944, and that it appears the Corps did not fully comply with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by including a spring rise in the AOP.
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View Letter to Corps of Engineers