The Army Corps of Engineers has been wrestling with the Mississippi River for over a century in an attempt to train and constrain the river to support commercial navigation. This practice is readily apparent along the Middle Mississippi River, a 190 mile stretch between the Missouri and Ohio River that is littered with structures to tame and deepen the river for navigation. Numerous scientists have found these “river training structures” can increase Mississippi River flood heights by 10 to 15 feet!
We’ve known for quite some time that river training structures magnify the impacts of flooding and harm to the environment. Despite these risks, the Corps continues to build these dubious structures. Since 1980 the Corps has filled this 190 mile stretch of river with at least 380 new structures. That’s two every mile! Finally, the Government Accountability Office is demanding that the St. Louis Corps start protecting the environment and river communities.
The Army Corps of Engineers is now accepting comments on its Middle Mississippi River activities and needs to hear from you!
Tell the Corps they need to:
1. Stop building new river training structures.
2. Evaluate all of their activities on the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway.
3. Invite the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate impacts of river training structures on floods.
Take action today by submitting online comments here.
To compose and submit your own comments, more information is provided in this document.
Comments are due on February 15th, 2014.
Thanks for taking the time to protect your rivers!
