Minor flooding delays levee repairs in Jefferson City
Two months after the Missouri River rose to major flood stage in the capital city, drainage district officials told ABC 17 News the damage assessment process is moving forward, but repairs are at a stand still.
“To really get that repair work done effectively, we’re going to need river levels that are in the teens,” said Britt Smith, an officials with the Capital View Drainage District.
The National Weather Service measured the Missouri River in Jefferson City at just below 23 feet on Tuesday, indicating a minor flood stage.
Smith said with the levees compromised, even a minor flood stage can prove disastrous, as a 25-to-27-foot sustained flood level would wash out places such as the Jefferson City Memorial Airport.
“What we’re being told by the Corps of Engineers is that we can expect the water levels to stay about where they are now, in the low 20s, through the rest of the year,” said Smith.
For any repairs to begin, Smith said the river conditions have to be right, the Army Corps of Engineers’ full damage assessment has to be completed and funding has to be secured.
“We’re certainly working the problem, and we’re going to get them fixed just as fast as we possibly can, but, until that time, we’re basically without a levee,” said Smith.
