St. Louis Corps, Coast Guard detail flood-fighting measures

In the wake of a weekend of more flooding in St. Louis in which a downtown pumping station was flooded and several levees were breached, officials of the St. Louis Engineer District and Coast Guard held a press conference to update the public on flood fighting-measures.

On June 2, after more rain, the Mississippi River breached the Pin Oak levee in Winfield, Missouri, flooding some homes and businesses. The river was a foot below the record set back in 1993.

The sudden rainfall, combined with already-high floodwaters, backed up a pipe into a pumping station in downtown St. Louis, flooding the main plant for a company that provides steam heat for downtown St. Louis buildings. The incident left several hotels, as well as Busch Stadium and the City Justice Center, without hot water. Boilers had to be rushed in from Chicago, Indianapolis and other areas.

Despite the incidents, the region’s flood walls and levee system are generally holding firm. Since the historic flood of 1993, significant investments in levee and protective infrastructure in the St. Louis region has kept losses and damage down, according to Col. Bryan Sizemore, commander of the St. Louis Engineer District. On the Illinois side alone, Sizemore said, local communities and levee districts have spent about $100 million in strengthening the levee systems there.

Sizemore spoke at the June 3 press conference in downtown St. Louis, along with other top Corps and Coast Guard officials. He began by offering thoughts and prayers for all those affected by the ongoing floods. “Our employees live in the region and are also affected,” he noted. He thanked the Corps’ flood-fighting partners, which include the Coast Guard, river towns, levee boards and districts and state and local governments.

Navigation halted

Capt. Scott Stoermer, Coast Guard commander of Sector Upper Mississippi River, noted that the Upper Mississippi River has been in some state of closure since late February. On June 1, the Coast Guard and Corps, in consultation with industry stakeholders, closed the Mississippi River from Alton, Illinois, at Mile 200.5, north to Gladstone, Illinois, at Mile 410.4, due to high water levels and fast-moving currents.

Vessel operators may request permission to move within the closure zone. Vessel movements will be limited to monitoring waterway conditions and enhancing waterway safety.

In order for vessels to move within the closure zone, operators must obtain permission from the captain of the port representative at the Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River command center, via VHF Channel 16 or 314-269-2332, at least 30 minutes prior to movement. The captain of the port reviews each request on a case-by-case basis.

“Safety of people, property and environment is paramount,” said Stoermer. “The Coast Guard continues to monitor, communicate conditions and prepare to respond during this extended high-water period. We ask for the public to be vigilant and heed all warnings in the riverine environment.” He said restrictions to operations will be lifted as soon as conditions improve. 

Levees improved since 1993

John Osterhage, chief of readiness for the St. Louis Engineer District, said that although about 20 segments of levees have been overtopped in the St. Louis District’s area of responsibility—which includes lower reaches of the Illinois River as well as parts of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers—overall, the levee system is performing better than in the Flood of 1993. “Even if we reach ‘93 levels, the system will perform much better than it did then,” he said. Every day, the Corps and its partners monitor the system for three broad issues: Levee over-toppings, under-seepage, and any issues with aging infrastructure like culverts, flood walls or pumping stations.

Buyouts of property owners in low-lying areas after the 1993 flood have also reduced damage, Sizemore said. In response to a question, he said the district has no plans to open the Birds’ Point-New Madrid Floodway. It is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River just below the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. That floodway was last breached deliberately by the Corps to protect Cairo, Illinois, during the floods of 2011. The decision was controversial because it flooded productive farmland. Landowners near the levee have an easement in their deeds allowing for that possibility, but they were not compensated for flood damage.

At the time of the press conference, the lower Illinois River was still nearing its latest crest; Sizemore said that river could well see more levee over-toppings there.

Asked what his major concern was, Sizemore said it was the possibility of members of the public ignoring safety instructions. “The top of a levee is no place to take pictures,” he said. Stoermer said conditions made it impossible for the Coast Guard to undertake rescue operations that would endanger crews.

Joan Stemler, chief of the St. Louis District’s water control operations, said she remembered the Flood of 1993, and the level of damage is not approaching that flood. “The Missouri River has crested, the Mississippi is cresting today, and the Illinois River has about a foot more to rise,” she said—although she noted that more rain is forecast in the near future. Local reservoirs “have held back a tremendous amount of water,” she said.

One major reason that flood levels below St. Louis have not yet reached those of the 1993 flood is that the Ohio River has not been contributing to the high water. It crested in Cincinnati at 33.42 feet June 2, well below flood level of 54 feet. While the Upper Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers are all in flood, it takes all four rivers flooding simultaneously to reach numbers on the Lower Mississippi like that of the 1993 flood, the Corps officials said.

Arkansas River breaking records

The Arkansas River, by contrast, is experiencing its highest-ever flood levels in many places. The entire river is expected to be closed to navigation until mid-July at least. Fifteen counties along the river were bracing for record crests; at least 10 locations have recorded highest-ever levels. President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the state on May 30. Officials say the total extent of damage won’t be known until the water recedes, but one report said the state’s farms and businesses were losing $20 million a day.

One farmer told CBS News that his 10,000-acre wheat farm, with a crop two weeks from harvest, was under 2 feet of water. He expected his losses alone to total $35 million and said many farmers he knew had lost all income for the year.

David Murray can be reached at [email protected].