Ha! Splashing on a bike would be a feat!taxi wrote: You need to earn your handle, splash!Just be sure to duck when you go under the bridges!
Who's Lewis and Clark?eomaha.com wrote: Yeah, this is the river which Lewis and Clark knew.
Not to go all "Brownback" on you, but that's really not a good reason considering the amount of flood control dams/reservois the army corps of engineers has at their disposal. The snow fall amounts were high, but not historical - and they are a complete "known" for those managing the water flow. Yes, there was a ton of rain over a two week period in May. But two weeks worth of rain (8-15 inches?) should NOT cause the amount of flooding we're seeing now. Not with the systems we have in place - that are there specifically to control the floods.FangKC wrote: Two weather anomolies are responsible. Unusually high snowfall in the Rocky Mountains last winter combined with freakishly high rainfall in the Northern Plains this Spring caused by the evil and dastardly El Nino.
North Kansas City did not flood...KCLover wrote: Did North Kansas City flood in '93? I can't remember and was 11 in '93, but live in NKC now and am debating on whether or not I should be worried....
Probably some truth to that. The Corps of Engineers is in a hard spot. The primary mission of all of those dams and reservoirs is flood control. The corps gets bashed when they are too conservative and the levels are too low to supply irrigation, drinking and recreation in years when flooding isn't an issue. It's a lose/lose for them. But when you look at the scale and cost of flood damages throughout the midwest, it should be easier to say "screw you, we're releasing water early at the expense of recreational activities and possible late season droughts".moderne wrote: We can blame the Dakotas for wanting to keep the reservoirs full at all times to support recreation and fishing.
Some times they cannot release water to protect fish and wildlife habitat downstream and other times are forced to release to protect habitat downstream. Then of course you have the releases for the barge traffic.WSPanic wrote: Probably some truth to that. The Corps of Engineers is in a hard spot. The primary mission of all of those dams and reservoirs is flood control. The corps gets bashed when they are too conservative and the levels are too low to supply irrigation, drinking and recreation in years when flooding isn't an issue. It's a lose/lose for them. But when you look at the scale and cost of flood damages throughout the midwest, it should be easier to say "screw you, we're releasing water early at the expense of recreational activities and possible late season droughts".
The Missouri River basin
supports an abundance of wildlife,
including three species that are
federally listed under the
Endangered Species Act: the
endangered pallid sturgeon and
least tern and the threatened
piping plover.
Current operation of the Missouri
River, which is heavily dammed and
channeled, poses a threat to the
survival of these three species.
In the final biological opinion, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
recommends returning the river to
more natural flows - a modest
spring rise and modest summer
drop. These recommendations
benefit river species in the
following ways:
Spring release from Fort Peck Dam:
A modest rise in spring flows from
Fort Peck dam will maximize the
amount of warm water habitat
needed by native river species such
as the pallid sturgeon. Cold
water coming from the dam has
caused limited production of these
species in this reach of the river.
The intentional spring release of
warm water over the spillway will
provide the biological cues to
encourage successful spawning by
pallids and other river fish.
Modified releases from
Gavins Point Dam:
The releases from Gavins Point
dam will help create a semblance of
the natural fluctuations of the
Missouri River - rising water in the
spring and the lowering of water in
the summer will provide biological
cues necessary for improved
reproduction from the least tern,
piping plover, and pallid sturgeon.
The rising water washes
nutrients into the river providing
food for river species.
Shorebirds including the least tern
and piping plover nest on sparsely
vegetated sandbars. The higher
spring flows scour channels and
move sand downstream creating
and maintaining high elevation
sandbars that provide resting and
nesting habitat.
The declining water signals the
birds that now is the time to nest
to ensure the young are hatched
with a maximum amount of
available habitat.
Missouri River
Missouri River Endangered Species:
How Do the Service’s
Recommendations Benefit Them?
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 25486, DFC
Denver, Colorado 80225-0486
http://www.r6.fws.gov
November 2000