Proposed Mississippi River Flood Control Plan is a Hot Debate

State lawmakers in Missouri are contesting a revised federal flood control plan for the Mississippi River that they say would leave many Missourians at risk, according to ozarksfirst.com.

The proposed plan from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seeks to build levees along the upper Mississippi River at a 500-year flood level. These new levees would cover large areas of Illinois and Iowa, but three Missouri counties––St. Charles, Lincoln and Pike––would be left out.

During a Missouri House of Representatives Committee meeting last Thursday, lawmakers objected to the plan, saying it would enhance the threat of flooding to Missouri in the future; additionally, a number of local infrastructure facilities would be in the flood zone if the plan moves forward, including two railroad tracks, a power plant, a major airport and 20 marinas.

The lack of state funding in Missouri explains why the three counties are left out in the plan. Illinois charges their farmers $31 per acre levee district fee, but Missouri's average is around $5 to $6. As a result, Illinois is able to build levees without federal or tax money, but Missouri has to raise a total of $3.5 billion from taxpayers in order to build the levees to prevent water from shifting to the state.