Flooding on the Missouri

[FangKC]

Updated Missouri River Levels: Find Out Where It's Flooding

Current levels are about 25.5 feet in Kansas City on Friday, June 10.  River levels have dropped since water releases from Kansas reservoirs upstream on the Kansas River were stopped this week.  Releases from reservoirs upstream on the Missouri will not start affecting river levels in Kansas City until after next Wednesday, June 15. The releases are expected through mid-August.

The concern for Kansas City is not the water levels per se from the upstream releases. The levees can handle the expected rise.  It's the duration.

Water levels on the Missouri River will be high for over two months straight.  High water pushing up against the levees for that long will put tremendous pressure on them, and saturate them, and cause the levees to weaken.

It will also saturate the soil in the exposed flood plain that is not protected by levees. The problem with that is that the soil in the flood plain is porous, so there is risk of sand boils popping up behind the levees. This is where water starts perculating up and flooding areas behind the levees.  The ground underneath the levees starts to weaken and collapse.

Sustained saturation of levees and bottomland is one problem. The other problem is the risk of dam failure on the upper Missouri at Ft. Peck.  That dam is 71-years-old. It is the highest earthen dam in the USA, and the fifth largest man-made lake in the USA sits behind it.  The reservoir is now at capacity. More water is sitting behind the dam than ever in its' history.  It's never been tested in this way.

Some experts say the dam is flawed in design. Others point to its' age. The reservoir is full, and the snow melt in the Rockies has just begun.  Water is flowing into Ft. Peck at twice the rate as water is being let out.

If the Ft. Peck dam were to fail, in all likelihood it would take out all five dams below it--all of which are also earthen dams that have full reseroirs behind them as well.

If that dam failure were to happen, flooding along the Missouri would be catastrophic--like nothing we have ever seen.

At risk this summer in Kansas City should levees begin to fail:

Iatan generation plants nos. 1 & 2

Newly-retooled General Motors plant in Fairfax district

Charles Wheeler Downtown Airport and Airline History Museum

Sunshine Biscuit plant in KCKS

Argosy Casino in Riverside and Riverside office park

Harrah's Casino in North Kansas City (mostly by road closure leading to casino)

Ameristar Casino near Birmingham. Ameristar sits behinds a levee on the bend in the river where pressure against it all summer would be the greatest.

Business in the East Bottoms: Sears Distribution Center, Kansas City Power & Light plant, City recycling center and Habitat Restore, Metropolitan Community College Business and Techology Center, Ramada Conference Center at Lakeside, Sara Lee Bakery, Keebler, Del Monte Foods, Three Dog Bakery, International Foods Products, Columbia Glass & Window, Dawn Food Products, and the Bayer plant.

Flooding in the West Bottoms is lower risk and is only threatened with sustained high water levels on the Missouri combined with problems of flooding from Turkey Creek or high water also coming down the Kansas River.

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In Kansas City, flood stage starts at 32 feet.

At 49.6 feet, major levees are overtopped.

At. 48.5 feet, the levee in the Birmingham bottom is overtopped.  

At 43.7 feet, levees and floodwalls in the East Bottoms need to be closed.  

At 40 feet, levees and floodwalls in North Kansas City must be closed.

At 39 feet, levees and floodwalls in the Central Industrial District must be closed.

At 35 feet, farm levees are overtopped, flooding of cropland, homesteads, and secondary roads behind the levees occurs.

At 32 feet, minor flooding outside of levees occurs.

http://www.kmbc.com/slideshow/news/28158171/detail.html

[FangKC]

Missouri River towns embark on summer of sandbags

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 56676.html

[FangKC]

Iowa governor concerned about integrity of levees

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/news/st ... witterfeed

[Roanoker]

Thank you, Fang, for being our Kansas City professor in general and our flood-watch meteorologist in particular. Your value is far greater than whatever you get paid for your services here.

[FangKC]

Transportation officials make plans as high Missouri approaches area

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/10/29 ... -make.html

[FangKC]

Sandbagging efforts ramp up in St. Joseph

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/09/29 ... up-in.html

[FangKC]

Fairfax Drainage District floodwall needs upgrades, but money tight

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/10/29 ... dwall.html

[DaveKCMO]

stopped in atchison while out for a sunday drive. had dinner at riverhouse restaurant*, facing the riverfront park. lots of big blocks and sandbags. the restaurant was going to flood sometime this week. that water is moving FAST.

*protip: excellent fried chicken.

[FangKC]

50-foot levee full breach on the Missouri River in Atchison County

http://issuu.com/omahausace/docs/news_r ... near_hambu

[FangKC]

Missouri River flooding thread is here:

http://forum.kcrag.com/index.php?topic=17552.new#new

[DaveKCMO]

Missouri River flooding thread is here:

http://forum.kcrag.com/index.php?topic=17552.new#new

mod: merged!

[Roanoker]

Missouri River flooding thread is here:

http://forum.kcrag.com/index.php?topic=17552.new#new

When I click on the link, I get an error message. Maybe Dave's merge thing negated it. No matter. I need to clean my floors now, anyway. 

[mean]

50-foot levee full breach on the Missouri River in Atchison County

http://issuu.com/omahausace/docs/news_r ... near_hambu

Any word on the expected impact round these parts?

[FangKC]

Another levee breach. This time in Holt County, MO--south of first one in Atchison County, MO.  This levee breach northwest of Big Lake, MO, is 225 ft. wide.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/13/29 ... levee.html

[aknowledgeableperson]

Parts of I-29 closed or will be closing near Iowa/Missouri border.

The Iowa Department of Transportation announced the interchange about 16 miles north of Council Bluffs will close at 6 p.m. today.

Officials plan to close about 20 miles of Interstate 29 in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri within the next two days because of a levee breach Monday morning near Hamburg.

Officials say I-29 will close from the interchange with Iowa Highway 2 to an exit 23 miles south near Rock Port, Mo., and all of state Highway 333 will close in Iowa and Missouri


Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/13/29 ... z1PCdDDw3a

[FangKC]

The levee breach in Atchison County, MO, near Hamburg, Iowa, has grown from 50 ft. to 300 feet.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/262977 ... n-Missouri

[FangKC]

Downtown Omaha threatened by flooding with heavy rainfall

http://www.ketv.com/r/28223256/detail.html

[FangKC]

Rocky Mountain Snowmelt Part of Missouri Flood Problem

“We’re about 327% above average with regard to water content in the snow,” Lawson says. “We are dealing with a very unusual situation. Actually, it’s a situation we have no records of to judge by.” Lawson says the bureau has been releasing water from reservoirs upstream in anticipation of the melting snow. Iowans along the Missouri River are being warned the flooding could last for many weeks, even months.

http://www.radioiowa.com/2011/06/13/roc ... d-problem/

[FangKC]

Floodwaters surround WinnaVegas Casino near Sloan, Iowa.

So much for the wisdom of riverboat gambling, huh?

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fb ... =1&theater

[IraGlacialis]

The thing that is making me nervous is the Ft. Peck Dam. From what the report states, it isn't a matter of 'if' but 'when'. If it goes, there will be repercussions not just along the Missouri, but all the way to New Orleans. If it holds, hopefully, it will be a wake-up call to overhaul our dams and levees, if not outright removing some of them in pertinent locations.