Show-Me state teams with three others to limit Missouri river flooding

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP, KMIZ)

Four states along the Missouri River are joining forces to look for ways to avoid the kind of flooding that caused millions of dollars in damage last year.

Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas are pooling their money to pay for half of a $400,000 study with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to measure how much water flows down the Missouri River.

"What we want to do through this study is look at where are those most-problematic areas, to prioritize those, and then to convene a local conversation about the range of options that would reduce damage in future events," said Dru Buntin, Deputy Director of the Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources.

State officials hope to present a united front to federal officials to gain more influence over how the river is managed after devastating floods in 2011 and 2019.

"I think that we will get more traction and more attention to those efforts and more assistance from the federal agencies if we're all speaking with one voice," said Buntin.

The next meeting of the DNR's Flood Recovery Advisory Working Group is Feb. 10.