US Army Corps of Engineers The 2008 Flood Presented by Brigadier General Michael J. Walsh Commander, Mississippi Valley Division BUILDING STRONGSM Mississippi Valley Division US Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Stewardship Recreation Navigation Flood Damage Reduction Emergency Management Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction System BUILDING STRONGSM Mission Overview US Army Corps of Engineers Navigation Flood Damage Reduction Hydropower Recreation Hurricane & Storm Emergency Damage Risk Management Reduction System Environmental Support for Others Regulatory Stewardship BUILDING STRONGSM 2008 High Water US Army Corps of Engineers . Lower Mississippi River: February - May ►Began with heavy rainfalls in February over the Ohio River Valley . Upper / Middle Mississippi River: May – July ►Record Mississippi River stages set at 3 locations BUILDING STRONGSM 2008 High Water US Army Corps of Engineers Lower River . No levees overtopped . Numerous MR&T levees and pump stations need repair . Bonnet Carré Spillway operated . Increased operation at pumping plants . Navigation restrictions . Increased dredging requirement BUILDING STRONGSM 2008 High Water US Army Corps of Engineers Upper River Navigation . 13 locks closed for total of 37 days . 316 river miles of the Upper Mississippi River system were closed to navigation . $70M in damages to L&Ds Recreation . Reduced visits: camping, hiking, boating, etc. Clean-up costs BUILDING STRONGSM US Army Corps of Engineers BUILDING STRONGSM US Army Corps of Engineers BUILDING STRONGSM Flooding US Army Corps of Engineers Downtown Cedar Rapids during the Cedar River Crest – June 2008 BUILDING STRONGSM Flooding US Army Corps of Engineers Hunt-Lima failure at Lock & Dam 20 storage yard BUILDING STRONGSM Response Summary US Army Corps of Engineers . Spring Flood Event • 12 levees damaged • 179 Mississippi Valley Division employees responded • $20.4 million funded to date . June Flood Event • 67 levees damaged • 301 Mississippi Valley Division employees responded • $106 million funded to date • Increased dredging requirement BUILDING STRONGSM Damages Prevented US Army Corps of Engineers BUILDING STRONGSM US Army Corps of Engineers Flood Damage Reduction Projects BUILDING STRONGSM Saylorville Lake - Des Moines River Basin Upstream of Des Moines, Iowa Saylorville Lake - Des Moines River Basin Controlled pneumatic crest gates Lake Red Rock - Des Moines River Basin Downstream of Des Moines, Iowa Coralville Lake - Iowa River Basin Upstream of Iowa City, Iowa US Army Corps of Engineers Cedar River Flooding BUILDING STRONGSM Cedar River Flooding US Army Corps of Engineers House boats up against railroad bridge Cedar River at Cedar Rapids, IA Collapsed railroad bridge Cedar River at Cedar Rapids, IA BUILDING STRONGSM Cedar River Flooding US Army Corps of Engineers July 2007 - Typical water level (note bridge) May Island area of Cedar Rapids, Iowa June 12, 2008 bridge railing BUILDING STRONGSM Downtown Cedar Rapids during the Cedar River Crest – June 2008 US Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi River Flooding & Levee Overtopping BUILDING STRONGSM US Army Corps of Engineers BUILDING STRONGSM Oakville, IA – was protected by Hunt-Lima failure at Lock Two Rivers levee that overtopped & Dam 20 storage yard Lower Lima Lake breeches Downtown Hannibal, Missouri June 2008 US Army Corps of Engineers Collaboration & Interdependence BUILDING STRONGSM Flood Risk Management US Army Corps of Engineers . Risk based tools will be used to provide a risk classification to levee systems BUILDING STRONGSM Levee Task Force US Army Corps of Engineers Interagency Levee Task Force JFO / JFO / JFO / JFO / JFO / ILWG ILWG ILWG ILWG ILWG Illinois Indiana Iowa Missouri Wisconsin BUILDING STRONGSM Summit US Army Corps of Engineers . Rainfall-River Forecasting Summit • Fusion Cell: National Weather Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BUILDING STRONGSM WRDA 2007 US Army Corps of Engineers MVD Flood Risk Management Project Authorizations Total Authorized District Project Project Cost St. Paul Roseau River, Roseau, MN $25,100,000 Rock Island Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers, Des Moines, IA $10,780,000 St. Louis Wood River Levee System, IL $17,220,000 New Orleans Morganza to the Gulf of Mexico, LA $886,700,000 Memphis Augusta and Clarendon, AR Levee Rehabilitation (White River) $8,000,000 St. Louis / Reconstruction of Illinois and Memphis Missouri Flood Protection Projects $50,000,000 BUILDING STRONGSM Upper Mississippi River US Army Corps of Engineers Comprehensive Plan . Authorized by WRDA 1999: “The Secretary shall develop a plan to address water resource and related land resource problems and opportunities in the upper Mississippi and Illinois River basins from Cairo, Illinois, to the headwaters of the Mississippi River, in the interest of the systemic flood damage reduction…” BUILDING STRONGSM .