Q: How is it that the Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for flood management?
A: This responsibility of the Army Corps – a federal agency and Army command -- comes from the Flood Control Act of 1936. Today, the Army Corps is responsible for the operation of the six dams and reservoirs on the 2,341-mile Missouri River. Levees on the river are operated and maintained locally, but the Army Corps conducts levee inspections and assessments. The Army Corps uses a 432-page Master Manual to plan how much water it releases from the six reservoirs along the Missouri River. The Army Corps’ most recent update of its Master Manual was completed in 2004, after 14 years of haggling.
Q: How did things go so wrong this year?
A: The Army Corps’ focus on flood control has been diluted by competing interests, including irrigation, hydropower, water supply, water quality, recreation, navigation, and fish and wildlife. This year, unexpected extreme weather conditions overwhelmed management of Missouri River flooding. The Army Corps needs to fully account for its decisions to hold water in reservoirs this spring, in light of those conditions. In addition, the Army Corps’ recently announced plan for releasing water this fall needs to be scrutinized.
Q: What influence does Congress have over what the Army Corps does?
A: Congress is conducting a review. It’s being led by a Missouri River Working Group that includes both senators from every state along the river, from Montana to Missouri. We are evaluating what changes need to be made to the Army Corps’ master manual to strengthen flood control. We’re working to
obtain a detailed assessment from the Army Corps of how it sees the scope and limits of its authority for flood protection. I’ve met twice this summer with the commander of the Northwest Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, Brig. Gen. John McMahon. This year’s flooding is bringing various stakeholders together like never before. I want to capitalize on the unity to make flood protection job one for Missouri River management. Changes to the Master Manual should be made as quickly as possible. This year’s flooding is a national crisis, and legislation may be needed to do more than the Army Corps is able or willing to do on its own. Whatever it takes, urban and rural communities along the Missouri River deserve prompt action.
Q: What about recovering from the disaster this year?
A: The Federal Emergency Management Agency -- or FEMA – takes the lead in helping communities and individuals recover from natural disasters like this year’s Missouri River flooding. I’ve met personally with the FEMA Administrator and urged the President to support requests from Governor Branstad to make Iowa counties impacted by Missouri River flooding eligible for the same kind of federal assistance that’s been provided to victims of natural disaster in other parts of the country. I’ve urged the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, to support a federal designation that would help flooded
farmers along the river. I also co-sponsored
legislation to amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to protect flood-insurance policy holders from arbitrarily established FEMA deadlines that negatively impact their claims. Individual risk management ought to be encouraged, not discouraged.
