Leaders of water-inundated towns in southwest Iowa are blaming the U-S Army Corps of Engineers for what they call blundering decisions that may have contributed to the region’s widespread flooding.
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he “absolutely” will call for an inquiry into the Corps’ actions, like ordering the town of Hamburg to remove reinforcements from a levee which protected the town in the 2011 floods.
OC……..”governs all that” :20
The Corps is also being criticized for having radically boosted releases recently from Gavins Point Dam upriver on the Missouri River and for now vowing to cut back the flow when the damage is already done. Critics say it’s far too little, too late.
OC……..”it’s ridiculous” :20
Defenders of the Corps’ actions say it was the perfect storm of conditions that brought the unstoppable flooding, with frozen soil, a deep snowpack that melted quickly, and heavy rain showers.
Grassley disagrees and says the Corps’ should have known better.
OC……..”behind the curve” :18
Grassley says the Corps’ river management priority list includes several elements, like maintaining water levels for commercial and recreational boating, when he says the number-one concern should be flood prevention.
Radio Iowa
