Floodplain Issues

Floodplain Issues

flooding

We are about to experience the second highest recorded flood on the Mississippi River.  It will probably come in third or fourth on the flow list.  Floods bring out the floodplain management specialist in me.  One of the issues that always comes up with a big flood is that we should return the floodplain to nature.  I would contend that farming is a compatible use for floodplains if you are prepared for the crop loss.

However, residences are not as compatible.  Federal Floodplain policy is to remove insurable structures from the floodplain, or flood proof them.  Elevated structures like the one below east of Litchfield are allowed.  The problem is that you u need a boat to get home.  In the case of the one below, it appears to me to be in the floodway.  Construction in a floodway is prohibited.  This house was allowed because of a poorly drawn map.  The house is about 50 feet from Shoal Creek and stream bank erosion could easily compromise it.

Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Agriculture flooding

I was attending a meeting in St. Louis as Hurricane Katrina came to shore.  It was close to a year after my retirement from USDA.  As news reports came in, I thought that perhaps some of my experience could be put to use in Louisiana.  I sent a resume to FEMA and I had a phone interview shortly.  It took until almost Thanksgiving before I heard from them again.  I left for Orlando the day after Thanksgiving to report for mustering in and training.  After a week of 11 hour days training in Florida we reported to Baton Rouge.  I spent most of my time inventorying properties that had repetitive claims for flood insurance.  I went all over Louisiana and saw a lot of devastation everywhere.  The second picture below, sums it up.  A house sitting on a pickup truck in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans.  Tom Brokaw reported from in front of that house a year later.  The mess was still being cleaned up.

The people of Louisiana were very nice to me.  I made the acquaintance of Rodger in the third picture down and we worked together many days.  I still hear from him from time to time.  I worked 6 days a week 12 hours a day until Christmas.  After Christmas, We did 11 hour days and got Saturday afternoons off.  I stayed in Port Allen across the river from Baton Rouge after Christmas.  The people below also became friends and even invited me to their superbowl party.  I was also able to celebrate Mardi Gras season in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.  Despite news reports to the contrary, I never met anyone who treated me badly.

It is gratifying to see the ten year anniversary reports on television showing how well the area has recovered.  I am proud to have been a small part of that effort.

Why did we need to save New Orleans?  It is an area that is very important to commerce and agriculture.  A large portion of our agricultural exports go through New Orleans.  A large part of a our petroleum imports come through New Orleans.  The port of New Orleans extends up the Mississippi River as far as Baton Rouge.  There are 47 refineries located in the area.  If we did not restore New Orleans, we would have needed to build a new port and all that infrastructure somewhere else.  A new city would like not have been any safer from hurricanes than New Orleans, and would have been much more expensive.

Having lived through the flood of 1993 on the Mississippi River, I saw first hand what it takes to recover from a major disaster.  Some people asked me how long I thought it would take to recover in Louisiana.  I told them that it would take at least 5 years until you could look around and say, "It looks like we are recovering."  I said it would take 10 years until things really felt "normal" again, but it would be a new normal.  I am sure that 10 years later we can still find damage, but it is good that the people are back and that commerce continues to move in Louisiana.

Levees are more than meets they eye

Levees are more than meets they eye

Agriculture flooding levee

Dr. Ken Olson and his Co-author Lois Wright Morton have written a series of articles concerning flooding especially in southern Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky based on experiences in that areas during the flood of 2011.  Olson and Morton have done  good job of talking about the effects of flooding on soils and agriculture.  In the latest article they explain how Slurry trenches and relief wells are installed to strengthen Ohio and Mississippi river levee systems.  Click on the link to see how there is more than meets the eye when it comes to levees.  The seepage control is an important component of the system, are often not visible at least to the untrained eye.

West Alton Area

West Alton Area

flooding wetness

This whole field was flood damaged in St. Charles County.  There are lots of wet holes and swales.  The good news is that levees are holding.

More on Wetness

More on Wetness

Crop Condition flooding wetness

I went to Vandalia today to do  septic tank investigation.  The photos below give some clue.  Crops are drowned and yellow.  Soybeans remain unplanted.  Major rivers are flooding and levees are over topping in some places.  I could be mistaken but so far, even though the rainfall pattern is similar to 1993, the amounts do not seem quite as large and we do get  a dry day once in a while. However, consider that at least in St. Louis, we are nearing a top 20 gauge reading.  In some tributaries, gauge readings have exceeded 1993 records.

Yellow and drowned corn

Yellow and drowned soybeans

Unplanted

Planter waiting for dry weather

Very Wet

Very Wet

flooding weather

The photo below shows the Mississippi River out of bank at Alton. I took a trip to Portage Des Sioux today and did not see any dry land.  I have not heard anyone talk prevented planting on soybeans, but it could happen.  The Missouri River is also out of bank.

Clark Bridge at Alton, IL

Flood Plain Management

Flood Plain Management

flooding

The house below is in a floodplain in Missouri.  It appears to meet flood plain construction requirements except for one small flaw.  The Air conditioner should be at least as high as the first floor.  Elevating things like air conditioners and electrical services can be relatively inexpensive ways to reduce flood damages.