Missouri Floods 2011: Breached Levee In Poplar Bluff Failed 2008 Federal Inspection

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The damaged agricultural levee protecting the southern Missouri town of Poplar Bluff failed a federal inspection after a 2008 flood.

Tony Hill, chief of the emergency management office for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Little Rock, Ark., told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the levee protecting farmland and homes near Poplar Bluff from the rain-swollen Black River received an "unacceptable" rating in 2008.

That's the lowest of three rankings the Corps gives to levees.

Hill said the private district that operates the levee was unable to make repairs. Because the problems weren't addressed, the levee no longer qualifies for a Corps program that provides money for flood-related repairs.

Water from the Black River is flowing over the top of the levee, which was breeched in one spot Monday. The flood danger has displaced about 1,000 people and put homes in and around the small town in danger.

Hill said the levee was breeched in several spots and overtopped in the 2008 flooding.

Hill said an "unacceptable" rating can be caused by a number of factors, but the reasons for the rating weren't immediately known Tuesday.

He said the rating is common to smaller levees, and he called it a "systemic problem." He said many levees are more than 50 years old and the districts that manage them don't have enough money to maintain them.

A 2009 Corps report shows three other levees in the same county also failed inspection.

Comments

[robert7 james7]

10:21 AM on 04/29/2011

WHAT GETS ME IS THEY WILL TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM RETIRED PEOPLE AND POOR WHILE PREACHING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, BUT WHEN THE GOVERNMENT COMES WITH THE CHECK FOR FLOOD DAMAGE, THEY WILL TAKE THAT CHECK IN A HEART BEAT.

[robert7 james7]

10:08 AM on 04/29/2011

SORRY, BUT WE DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX THE LEVI, WE GAVE IT TO EXXON. DON'T IT GIVE YOU A GOOD FEELING TO KNOW THAT YOU NOT ONLY HELPED A CORPORATE GIANT BUT THAT EXXON'S CARBON POLLUTION HELPED MAKE THIS FLOOD.

[iridium53]

10:35 PM on 04/28/2011

"He said the rating is common to smaller levees, and he called it a "systemic problem." He said many levees are more than 50 years old and the districts that manage them don't have enough money to maintain them."

That's total bollocks.

They CHOOSE to not have the money to maintain them - because they are unwilling to make the decision to cut other spending or raise revenue (taxes).

Government don't just passively not have money. They CHOOSE to have money or not.
Based upon the courage and attention of their politicians and citizenry.

Either way - the levy is their problem, which they created, and which they chose to not properly maintain - despite inspection warning.

When you don't maintain your car, and you get in an accident, who's fault is that?

[arizonasoccermom]

10:08 PM on 04/28/2011

Oops
Any one see this?
"Hill said the private district that operates the levee was unable to make repairs. Because the problems weren't addressed, the levee no longer qualifies for a Corps program that provides money for flood-related repairs."

How's that privatization working for your town?

Until we understand that infrastructure is paramount to our county's viability we will continue to slide into the level of a developing nation. What do you figure the cost of repairing these small levees are compared to the cost of rebuilding an entire town?

[robert7 james7]

10:10 AM on 04/29/2011

IT IS A GOOD THING TO KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF NOT USING MONEY TO FIX THE LEVIES WE WERE ABLE TO LET G.E. AND EXXON PAY NO TAX. AND NOW THEY WANT TO LOWER TAXES. HOW CAN IT GET BETTER THEN THAT?

[rodjard]

02:28 AM on 04/28/2011

People are out of work. There is work to be done.
Would a lack of leadership come to mind as a
reason it is not getting done and people are
not working. S ome call it conservative not to
do it. I call it irresponsible.

[robert7 james7]

10:14 AM on 04/29/2011

X

[robert7 james7]

10:15 AM on 04/29/2011

OPPS, i REPLIED TO THE WRONG POST, SORRY

[theobserver4]

11:19 AM on 04/27/2011

Save a penny today and pay a dollar tomorrow. This is what happens when you don't maintain your infrastructure; this is a lesson that we'll be learning on a national scale if the GOP has their way. We're already graded at a "C" for infrastructure vs our competitors so imagine what a D or a F will be like to live in......

[alteredstory]

01:29 PM on 04/27/2011

It's not about the rich getting richer. It's about the rich getting richer compared to the poor. As far as they're concerned, if the poor and middle class see their quality of life go down, it's the same as seeing the upper class' quality of life go up.

[JWerner]

02:01 AM on 04/28/2011

The American Society of Civil Engineers has it at a D grade.

[artist-53]

10:53 AM on 04/27/2011

For what it's worth. Does this say they are self regulating?

The Dams Sector Coordinating Council and Levee Sub-Sector Coordinating Council are self-organized, self-run, and self- governed organizations that represent the spectrum of assets within the Dams Sector.

The councils are the government’s principal point of entry into the sector for developing
and coordinating CIKR protection activities and issues. Membership in the councils is as follows.
Dams Sector Coordinating Council (SCC) Membership
Allegheny Energy
Ameren Services Company
American Electric Power
Association of State Dam Safety Officials
Association of State Floodplain Managers
AVISTA Utilities
CMS Energy
Dominion Resources
Duke Energy
Exelon Corporation
Hydro-Quebec
National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies
National Hydropower Association National Mining Association (ex-officio member) National Water Resources Association
New York City Department of Environmental Protection (ex- officio member)
New York Power Authority Ontario Power Generation Pacific Gas & Electric Company PPL Corporation
Progress Energy Public Utility District 1 of Chelan County, WA Scana Corporation Seattle City Light South Carolina Public Service (Santee-Cooper) Southern California Edison (ex-officio member) Southern Company Generation U.S. Society on Dams Xcel Energy Corporation
Levee Sub-Sector Coordinating Council Membership
National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies
Association of State Floodplain Managers Los Angeles County Flood Control District Reclamation District 1000 (Natomas, CA) South Lafourche Levee District

learningservices.us/asdso/PDFs/SecurityAwareness_LeveeGuide.pdf

[artist-53]

10:38 AM on 04/27/2011

Search Results

1.
VIDEO: Missouri Levee on Flooded River Fails
CNN is reporting that a compromised levee in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, failed Tuesday, ... Missouri-based energy company Ameren is a major producer of CCW. ...
oneclick.indiatimes.com/article/01QB2Yx3T42cD?q=Missouri -

I went to the article but it didn't mention Ameren.

I did find Ameren and Koch on the same page. You may have to copy paste the title as I don't think the PDF link is complete.
Concentric Energy AdvisoAnalysis of Ameren Service Company's Costs and Services

Ameren EX.5.14e

A 2007 report
www.ceadvisors.com/.../Ratemaking%20and%20Utility%20Regulation_Analysis%20of%20Ameren%20Service%20Companys%20Costs%20and%2...

[Benjamin Rosenfeld]

08:26 AM on 04/27/2011

No surprise here. This is reactive country, not a proactive one. Why fix problems now when we can simply point fingers later once the infrastructure fails? It's the American way!!!

[catchmyeye]

07:46 AM on 04/27/2011

Failed Federal inspection. What a phrase.

[artist-53]

07:30 AM on 04/27/2011

"private district that operates the levee was unable to make repairs."

Does this means the it was being overseen by a private company? Or did I misunderstand .
If it is a private company, why not name the company?

[numnuts]

03:15 AM on 04/27/2011

Keep passing abortion bills and don't pay attention to the infrastructure of your state. No regulations, get rid of the EPA, no global warming, no jobs, but you do have abortion bills. Pay attention to the needs of your state.

[robert7 james7]

10:17 AM on 04/29/2011

THEY CAN'T. ALL THE MONEY GOES TO CORPORATIONS WHO WON'T PAY THEIR TAX, AND MONEY THE RICH WONT GIVE BACK.

[tjconkster]

10:36 PM on 04/26/2011

Who needs infra-structure....let's give more money to the rich....

[KCM7]

09:42 PM on 04/26/2011

Even after this the baggers will still vote republicant.

[robert7 james7]

10:19 AM on 04/29/2011

THEY SAY REPUBLICAN'S ON AVERAGE HAVE LOWER IQ'S AND CONTINUING TO VOTE FOR THE CARBON POLLUTER THAT INCREASES WATER IN THE AIR, PROVES IT.

[dubbleplusgood]

09:00 PM on 04/26/2011

The 'News' page of the City of Poplar Bluff website is blank.

And the brand new mayor, Ed DeGaris wrote a Welcome to Poplar Bluff letter found on the city's home page.

Here's an interesting paragraph:

[As well as being an economic center, Poplar Bluff is also an entertainment center for the area. There is always something happening at the Black River Coliseum.]

There sure is Ed. A fourth of the evacuees are sheltering at the Black River Coliseum.