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NCGA Tells Corps: No Spring
Rise on the Missouri River (10-9-01)
Thursday
night in Sioux City, Iowa, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins the
first of 10 public meetings on proposed changes to its Master Manual
for the Missouri River. At that meeting, members of the National Corn
Growers Association (NCGA) will be on hand to explain the organization's
opposition to one of the proposed changes: a spring rise on the Missouri.
"NCGA
supports management of the Missouri River that places the highest priority
on economic uses of the river. That means flood control for farmland,
navigation and irrigation," notes Paul Bertels, NCGA director of
production and stewardship. "NCGA opposes Corps of Engineers changes
that have the potential to harm farmers and agriculture because of reduced
navigation or potential for spring rise." The Revised Draft Environmental
Impact Statement for the Missouri River Master Water Control Manual
Review and Update details six alternatives. The Corps will have a six-month
public comment period with workshops and hearings held from Helena,
Mont., to New Orleans, La., to explain the plans and take public comments.
Written comments will be also be accepted by mail and Internet.
The Corps intends that the Final Environmental Impact Statement contain
a single preferred alternative when released for public review in May
2002.
Bertels listed the reasons NCGA opposes the Spring Rise:
* The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has failed to scientifically demonstrate
how a Spring Rise would enhance or improve the habitat for the pallid
sturgeon, least tern and piping plover.
* The spring rise would coincide with the time that the Missouri and
its tributaries are normally at their highest levels. Combining increased
reservoir discharges, high tributary inflows, and the normally occurring
spring storms would unnecessarily increase the likelihood of floods.
* Many of the drainage ditches and canals empty directly into the Missouri
or its tributaries. Higher river levels would impede the drainage and
cropping of thousands of acres of land behind the levees.
* The spring rise would eliminate the barge industry on the Missouri
River. Higher spring flows would place additional operating restriction
on tows. The split season associated with the spring rise would force
the towing industry off of the Missouri from July through September.
The logistical and operating expenses associated with dual season opening
and closing would make navigation on the Missouri unprofitable.
* The spring rise would decrease power generation and increase utility
bills for millions of Americans. To support higher discharges in the
spring, the hydroelectric generators located at each reservoir on the
Missouri would cut output because of reduced water discharges.
* The spring rise could jeopardize navigation on the Mississippi River.
During droughts, the Missouri River provides more than 60 percent of
the water in the Mississippi River from St. Louis to the mouth of the
Ohio. Curtailed discharges from the Missouri reservoirs during a drought
would mean that navigation on the Mississippi River would grind to a
halt, stranding millions of tons of cargo.
Copies
of the Summary of the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement,
workshop schedule and other support material are available at www.nwd.usace.army.mil
or by writing to Project Manager, Master Manual Review and Update, 12565
West Center Rd., Omaha, NE 68144.
For
more information about National Corn Growers Association and the Missouri
River visit http://www.ncga.com/transportation/main/index.html.
Last
reviewed October 9, 2001
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