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Levee restoration getting closer to completion following 2019 flood

It’s taken the Army Corps of Engineers 4 years after a historic flood along the Missouri River to repair damaged levees. Emergency Management Chief Jud Kneuvean says there’s only one breach that still needs fixed.

“If we get good weather in the next 30 days, the project in Holt County, Missouri will be fixed.”

The Corps is assessing ways to reduce flood risks along the Missouri River in three areas: near Holt County, at Brunswick and near Jefferson City. Kneuvean says the assessment will take time and it won’t be easy.

“Does it require a structural modification of levees or something related the channel or a combination of both?”

Spring flood season is getting closer, but with the dry conditions Kneuvean is expecting an average to below average risk for flooding. Missouri Soybean Association CEO Gary Wheeler says it’s good to not have a flood threat, but it would be nice to have levels high enough to move products.

“We like to see movement on the river.”

Kneuvean says levee district boards can use this time to prepare for the next flood and make sure levee systems are being properly maintained. Brownfield interviewed Kneuvean and Wheeler at the Missouri Levee Drainage District Association’s annual meeting.