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21st Century Dam Design
Advances and Adaptations
31st Annual USSD Conference
San Diego, California, April 11-15, 2011
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On the CoverArtist's rendition of San Vicente Dam after
completion of the dam raise project to increase local storage and
provide
a more flexible conveyance system for use during emergencies
such as earthquakes that could curtail the regions
imported water supplies. The existing 220-foot-high dam, owned
by the City of San Diego, will be raised by 117
feet to increase reservoir storage capacity by 152,000
acre-feet. The project will be the tallest dam raise in the
United States and tallest roller compacted concrete dam raise in
the world.
The information contained in this publication regarding
commercial projects or firms may not be used for
advertising or promotional purposes and may not be construed as
an endorsement of any product or
from by the United States Society on Dams. USSD accepts no
responsibility for the statements made
or the opinions expressed in this publication.
Copyright 2011 U.S. Society on Dams
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011924673
ISBN 978-1-884575-52-5
U.S. Society on Dams
1616 Seventeenth Street, #483
Denver, CO 80202
Telephone: 303-628-5430
Fax: 303-628-5431
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.ussdams.org
U.S. Society on Dams
Vision
To be the nation's leading organization of professionals
dedicated to advancing the role of dams
for the benefit of society.
Mission USSD is dedicated to:
Advancing the knowledge of dam engineering, construction,
planning, operation,
performance, rehabilitation, decommissioning, maintenance,
security and safety;
Fostering dam technology for socially, environmentally and
financially sustainable water
resources systems;
Providing public awareness of the role of dams in the management
of the nation's water
resources;
Enhancing practices to meet current and future challenges on
dams; and
Representing the United States as an active member of the
International Commission on
Large Dams (ICOLD).
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Lower Missouri River Basin 1233
LOWER MISSOURI RIVER BASIN DAM AND LEVEE FLOOD FIGHT LESSONS
LEARNED
Willem H. A. Helms1 Eugene J. Kneuvean2 Stephen J. Spaulding3
William B. Empson4 Jared D. Mewmaw5 Rexford G. Goodnight6
ABSTRACT
After the Midwestern flood of 1993, the lower Missouri River
Basin entered a relatively dry period without major flooding. As a
result of that extended period of relatively stable water levels,
experience in flood fighting, flood recovery and support to local
communities became stagnant. Local knowledge of Federal assistance
that can be provided to protect life and property also faded during
this period. Numerous changes also occurred in the regulatory,
funding and water management environment in which emergency
responses are conducted. As a result of flooding in 2007, 2008 and
2010, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District
developed renewed expertise in moderate flood fight operations on
dams and levees and local best practices in emergency operations
leadership, organization, equipment, reporting, community outreach
and response and risk communication. Equipment used to save an
overtopping levee in 2010 is discussed. EOC leadership through the
use of Battle Captains to manage the response is presented. Use of
helicopters to obtain real time situational awareness to guide
flood fight response is presented. An overview of general
situations under which Federal assistance can be provided to local
districts, sponsors and private individuals to protect life and
property is also discussed.
INTRODUCTION The great Midwestern Flood of 1993 was a definitive
moment in governmental response to a flood of great magnitude,
undoubtedly a result of the wide geographic area of impact. From
the late 1990s until 2007, flood responses of such magnitude were
not again accomplished by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the
lower Missouri River Basin. Throughout the organization, many other
priorities were established, most notably the Global War on
Terrorism and a spike in military construction as a result of Base
Realignment and Closure (BRAC). In 2007, the floods that occurred
throughout the summer resulted in a thorough analysis of flood
response efforts culminating in a vast knowledge of flood response
tools and efforts. The USACE response to flooding on the Missouri
River during May 2007 included over 200 Corps employees, several
technical 1 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, 635
East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106,
[email protected]. 2 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Kansas City District, 635 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106,
[email protected]. 3 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Kansas City District, 635 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106,
[email protected]. 4 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Kansas City District, 635 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106,
[email protected]. 5 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Kansas City District, 635 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106,
[email protected]. 6 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Kansas City District, 635 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106,
[email protected].
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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations 1234
assistance requests from local entities, the issuance of over 1
million sandbags, and 38 flood damage reduction projects damaged
and requiring rehabilitation to pre-flood conditions at a cost of
over $20 million. Through subsequent events up to 2010, the Kansas
City District affirmed that a proactive approach and interaction
with levee districts and local and state governments before and
during response operations increases resiliency and often results
in preventing significant loss of life and property. Additional
best practices include event leadership, organization, equipment,
reporting, risk communication, and public outreach. This paper will
focus on the invaluable tools formed throughout the emergency
management cycle, culminating in the response efforts conducted
during June through August 2010. Public Law 84-99 The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers has authority under Public Law 84-99, Flood
Control and Coastal Emergencies (FCCE) (33 U.S.C. 701n) (69 Stat.
186) for emergency management activities. Under PL 84-99, the Chief
of Engineers, acting for the Secretary of the Army, is authorized
to undertake activities including disaster preparedness, Advance
Measures, emergency operations (Flood Response and Post Flood
Response), rehabilitation of flood control works threatened or
destroyed by flood, protection or repair of federally authorized
shore protective works threatened or damaged by coastal storm, and
provisions of emergency water due to drought or contaminated
source. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District is
responsible for PL 84-99 response for the Lower Missouri River
Basin.
The Kansas City District The Kansas City District (Figure 1)
largely encompasses the lower 500 miles of the Missouri River and
its tributaries, encompassing portions of Colorado, Nebraska,
Kansas, and Missouri. This area of operation includes over 1,030
miles of levees, 18 flood damage reduction reservoirs and numerous
civil works projects. Military construction provides support to
five military installations in Missouri and Kansas. Environmental
restoration projects encompass 6 states. The districts civil works
program impacts the Nation on a daily basis through the commerce
created by the Missouri River, ports and harbors; hydropower; water
supply; recreation opportunities; environmental programs; and
public safety infrastructure.
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Lower Missouri River Basin 1235
Figure 1. The Kansas City District (Civil Works) operational
area.
The Missouri River Basin
The Missouri River basin encompasses an area of 529,000 square
miles, including about 9,700 square miles located in Canada. The
basin is bounded on the west by the Continental Divide, formed by
the Rocky Mountains; on the north by a less conspicuous elevation
separating it from the Hudson Bay drainage; on the east by the Red
and Mississippi River drainages; and on the south by the Ozark
Uplift and a east-west ridge across the central Kansas, separating
it from the Arkansas and other lower Mississippi drainage. This
total area spans 10 states, including all of Nebraska, most of
Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota, about half of
Kansas and Missouri, and smaller parts of Iowa, Colorado and
Minnesota. Due to its mid-continent location, the basin experiences
temperatures noted for wide fluctuations and extremes. Winters are
relatively long and cold over much of the basin, while summers vary
from mild to hot. Spring is normally cool, humid and windy; autumn
is normally cool, dry, and fair. The basin experiences temperatures
above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to below -20 degrees
Fahrenheit in winter. Average annual precipitation ranges from a
low of 8 inches just east of the Rocky Mountains to about 40 inches
in the southeastern part of the basin, and in parts of the Rocky
Mountains at higher elevations. The normal season maximum
precipitation is observed throughout the basin during the spring
and early summer months. Precipitation during the late summer and
fall months is usually of short duration thunderstorms with small
centers of high intensity, although widespread general rains do
occasionally occur, especially in the lower basin. Winter
precipitation occurs in the form of snow in the northern and
central portions of the basin. In lower basin states, it may occur
as either rain or snow or a
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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations 1236
mixture of both. Average annual snowfall ranges from 20 inches
in the lower basin to 30 inches in the eastern Dakotas to near 50
inches in the high plains areas in the west. High elevation
stations in the Black Hills and in the Rockies along the western
edge of the basin receive in excess of 100 inches of snowfall.
The Kansas City Districts area of responsibility consists of the
southeast or lower portion of this watershed. This portion of the
watershed comprises the northern half of Kansas, the southern third
of Nebraska, the south western third of Iowa and half of Missouri
in the northwest and central regions. Omaha Districts area of
responsibility includes the remainder of the basin starting area
just upstream of Rulo Nebraska.
Emergency Management Cycle in the Kansas City District
To adequately frame the response efforts of summer 2010,
discussion of emergency management within the Kansas City District
is necessary. Four phases of the emergency management cycle include
mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery (Haddow, 2006).
Through various events, beginning with the Midwestern Floods of
1993, it was determined that as an emergency management
organization, the Kansas City District should accomplish each of
these phases. The following outlines how each of the phases are
accomplished within the district.
Mitigation: Mitigation is minimizing the effects of a disaster
or more specifically ensuring resiliency, the ability to, bounce
back. For the Kansas City District, this principle is paramount to
its dam and levee safety programs. Routine annual inspections, are
a critical component of a flood damage reduction project safety
program and focus on the operation and maintenance of the project.
Annual inspections verify the project sponsor operates and
maintains the project in a way to achieve the maximum benefits that
the project was designed to provide in accordance with the projects
operations and maintenance manual. Periodic inspections, conducted
every five years, are the next level of rigor in the program and
includes a more detailed and consistent evaluation of the condition
of the project and is conducted every five years. Activity under
the periodic inspection includes routine inspection items; verifies
proper operation and maintenance; evaluates operational adequacy,
structural stability and, safety of the system; and compares
current design and construction criteria with those in place when
the project was built. The final periodic inspection rating is
based upon the routine inspection items, and will include an
acceptable, minimally acceptable or unacceptable rating.
Preparedness: Preparedness is the cycle which encompasses the
majority of the effort within the district. Past lessons learned
have highlighted the importance of a training and exercise program.
For example, Kansas City District personnel attend joint flood
fight training with levee district personnel and conduct an annual
flood fight orientation. An additional preparedness tool includes
an annual spring flood assessment. This assessment determines the
potential flood risks for the upcoming season and identifies
available resources including pumps, sandbags, sandbag machines,
and other equipment necessary to conduct a flood fight response.
Processes, including routine inspections and response operations,
are clearly outlined in preparedness plans. A key component of the
Kansas City Districts preparedness plans include an all hazards
operations order, emergency
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Lower Missouri River Basin 1237
action plans, critical surveillance plans, flood fight standard
operating procedures, and flood fight training materials. The all
hazards operations order specifies procedures and team structure
necessary to accomplish a wide spectrum of contingencies. A key
component of the all hazards operations order is that it outlines a
five phase response effort to include activation, deployment,
execution, recovery, and closeout. The operations order outlines
the structure of a crisis management team led by the district
commander or his deputy and includes senior leadership of the
district. The district commander designates the chief of emergency
management as the operations officer responsible for the oversight
of contingency operations and manages allocation of resources. The
chief of the emergency management, in turn, identifies and recruits
a crisis action team, led by a battle captain, who manages the
specific contingency, most often a flood fight event. The Emergency
Action Plans (EAP) outline response activities directly correlated
to specific action triggers. The emergency action plan (EAP) is
intended to assist personnel in safeguarding lives and reducing
damage to property in the event of flooding by large operational
releases or failure of a dam structure. It is intended to direct
personnel in deciding on and implementing preventative actions by:
assuring that project personnel are trained to recognize potential
emergency situations; assuring that project personnel properly
observe and report critical areas to allow maximum time for
remedial measures which may prevent a serious condition from
progressing; assuring that should a critical condition develop, and
failure of the dam is imminent, this plan provides procedures to
follow so that the public is given the maximum time to evacuate.
The EAP contains inundation maps to show the responsible downstream
local emergency management officials of the critical areas for
action in case of an emergency. The dam surveillance plan
establishes inspection and monitoring procedures to be followed by
the reservoir project manager and staff in the operation of the
project to ensure dam safety. Each of the 18 flood damage reduction
projects (reservoirs) in the district includes a unique dam
surveillance plan. Selected project features require continuous
monitoring to ensure the dam is functioning as designed under
normal and abnormal conditions. The dam surveillance plans clearly
specify that project personnel should be watchful for any unusual
events or strange conditions. Alertness and attentiveness on the
part of individuals are crucial in identifying potential dam safety
problems. The dam surveillance plans include progressive levels of
surveillance, to include routine, increased and critical
surveillance. Surface water elevations determine the levels of
surveillance. Increased surveillance levels require more intensive
surveillance of each structure. Stresses on structures increase as
the water surface elevations increase. The purpose of the flood
fighting standing operating procedure is to establish duties,
policies, and responsibilities applicable to flood fight and
response efforts of the Kansas City District. Team structures,
specific to a flood fight, are outlined in the standard operating
procedures and include mobile liaison teams and technical response
teams. Mobile liaison teams are considered the initial surge of the
flood response and coordinate with the levee districts and/or local
government entity on specific areas of concerns. During a flood
event, the technical response teams respond directly to the
technical assistance requests from the levee
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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations 1238
districts and/or governmental entities. Additional flood fight
preparedness materiel includes a flood fight training manual which
outlines standard flood fight techniques and other useful
information. Response: All emergency operations response activities
are structured, analyzed and managed through the Emergency
Operations Center (EOC), located in Kansas City, Missouri. Risk
communications is an important response tool to ensure stakeholders
and general public are duly informed of flood damage reduction
project safety concerns or risks. Risk communication is
accomplished through media access to subject matter experts and
regularly scheduled conference calls with congressional delegations
and stakeholders. A vital tool for response personnel includes
geographic information system (GIS). GIS is able to allow spatial
analysis of vast amounts of data. The data is systematically
gathered and organized, analyzed, and displayed electronically or
on paper maps (Blanchard, 2007). Responders are able to analyze and
execute their missions using the same critical information and are
able to achieve greater response efficiencies. The Kansas City
District has used GIS to effectively create a spatial flood
information platform. This platform allows response personnel to
identify potential levee overtopping areas and efficiently
concentrate response efforts. A crucial flood fight reconnaissance
tool is the use of aerial surveillance. Based upon lessons learned
from 2007, the Kansas City District determined that the use of
fixed wing and rotary assets offered a distinct advantage in
real-time surveillance of the flood fight area. Aerial surveillance
offers the opportunity to identify hot spots and thus concentrate
flood fight resources in the approximate area. Previous flood
responses led to the use of battle captains to accomplish specific
mission management objectives in accordance with specific event
characteristics. Battle captains, used in 2007 and further refined
during the 2010 flood response, are invaluable in managing
information flowing through the emergency operations center.
Subsequent response actions, as tasked through the crisis action
team members, are expedited. The battle captains are responsible
for compiling event information and briefing crisis management team
members during scheduled briefings. Informing senior leadership on
a routine basis has proven to be invaluable in affirming a sense of
urgency, thus ensuring a devoted district workforce to the flood
fight effort. Battle captains allow the districts emergency
management staff to remain focused on coordination with levee,
local, and state governmental agencies to ensure a strategic and
comprehensive flood fight response. Recovery: The U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers may provide assistance in the rehabilitation of flood
damage reduction projects for the purpose of ensuring community
recovery. From May 2007 through May 2010, Kansas City District has
been in an almost continuous cycle of flood recovery. Flooding in
the lower Missouri River and its tributary system damaged more than
a third of the levee systems within Kansas City Districts
Rehabilitation and Inspection Program. For 2010, the majority of
the levee repairs and rehabilitation will occur within the state of
Missouri, but also includes Kansas and Nebraska. Total expected
damages may exceed $10 million. District personnel remain engaged
during
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Lower Missouri River Basin 1239
and after the flood event to ensure that a pre flood level of
protection is restored prior to the next flood season. The 2010
Flood Event
As Missouri River flows increased toward flood stage in June of
2010, the Kansas City District began emergency response efforts.
The event duration spanned from June to August of 2010. Response
efforts for Missouri River flooding included deployment of liaison
and technical response teams to levees along the Missouri River.
Other resources used during flood fight operations included sand,
sandbags, sandbagging machines and technical assistance in
placement of sandbags. In addition to sand bagging operations
relief wells were installed along a levee section that exhibited
significant piping of foundation materiel.
Several of the Missouri River tributaries were also above flood
stage. The Chariton River was one such tributary and is of
particular interest because of the scale of the response effort. As
the Chariton River flows increased toward flood stage in July of
2010 the Kansas City District began emergency response efforts.
These efforts were in conjunction with flood fight efforts that
were ongoing in response to Missouri River flooding. The duration
of this effort was from July to August of 2010. Response efforts
for the Chariton River flooding included deployment of liaison and
technical response teams near Rathbun Lake. Other resources used
during flood fight operations included stone, light plants,
port-a-dam, sand, sandbags, sandbagging machines and technical
assistance in placement of sandbags.
Heavy rainstorms in early and mid-June led to the extensive
moderate to major flooding in the Missouri River basin. The large
area impacted by this flood event contained both federal and
non-Federal flood damage reduction systems. Federal systems within
the Kansas City District included both levees and reservoirs.
Rathbun, Hillsdale, Melvern, Milford, Tuttle Creek, Perry, Long
Branch and Longview Lakes had pool elevations requiring increased
surveillance. Rathbun Lake entered into critical surveillance and
had some minimal flow out of the emergency control spillway. In
addition to reservoirs, flood fight assistance was provided to the
Elwood-Gladden Drainage District and Holt County in support of
Federal levees R-471-460 and L-497, respectively. These levees are
located on the Missouri River. Technical assistance was provided
for Federal Levees L-488 and R-512 on the Missouri River.
Non-Federal levees supported during this event included Rushville
Sugar Lake Levee, Henrietta-Crooked River Levee, Atchison County,
Kansas Levee.
Upstream of Kansas City, the second crest around June 23 was
generally a little higher than the first crest around June 15.
Later storms, particularly those causing major flooding in the
Little Sioux River basin in late June, extended the period of
flooding, but the subsequent crests were lower than the earlier two
crests. The later storms did not extend into Missouri. The Grand
River experienced major flooding due to the storms on June 1-2 and
again on June 12-15, with the crests at Sumner, Missouri occurring
on June 9 and June 17. Combined with the first Nebraska flood crest
and the second Grand River
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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations 1240
crest, the highest crest on the lower Missouri River occurred
during the June 19-21 period. Moderate flooding occurred along many
Blue River tributaries, such as at Crete and Mill Creek at
Washington, Missouri and in Smoky Hill and Republican River
tributaries in north central Kansas, such as at Clay Center. Most
of this flooding resulted in agricultural flooding and damages to
county roads and bridges. Flood waters from the Republican River
are captured by Milford Reservoir, and the Blue River flows into
Tuttle Creek Reservoir. Both of these lakes went into increased
surveillance (a dam safety consideration not related to any
imminent failure) by early July, but total storage is only about
35% of the available flood control pools.
The releases at Gavins Point Dam were at 27,000 cubic feet per
second through early June. From June 12 to June 14, the COE
Reservoir Control Center (RCC) in Omaha Nebraska was able to reduce
releases to 22,000 cubic feet per second. As the pool climbed from
1205 feet towards the top of the gates at 1210 feet, releases had
to be increased to 33,000 cubic feet per second. After the pool had
been reduced to 1205.2 feet, the RCC was again able to reduce
releases to 15,000 cubic feet per second beginning at midnight on
June 20, in order to reduce the next Missouri River crest on June
23-24. As the pool again climbed, RCC began increasing releases
incrementally June 23, rising to 34,000 cubic feet per second by
June 26. The releases continued at that level through early July.
The water travel time from Gavins Point Dam to Omaha is about 3
days, to Rulo Nebraska about 4.5 days, to Kansas City, Missouri
about 5.5 days, and to the mouth of the Missouri River about 10
days.
The Missouri River at Nebraska City crested at a minor stage of
25.2 feet on June 15 and again at 25.2 feet on June 23. The first
crest was directly due to the rainstorms of June 6 to 13 feet. The
second crest was due to a combination of the crests from the Platte
River and the rainstorms of June 20-23. A long slow crest occurred
during the period from June 30 to July 2 at 21.9 feet due to the
extended runoff out of the Little Sioux River from the storms on
June 26-27. The impacts were mainly to unprotected agricultural
lands. A number of Federal levees in the Omaha District upstream of
Rulo to Omaha were closely monitored by the Corps. Erosion was
reported at a levee near the mouth of the Platte River and on the
Missouri side of Nebraska City. The Corps and sponsors planned to
dump rock at the erosion sites as a temporary measure. No Federal
levees were overtopped.
At Rulo, Nebraska the Missouri River first crested at a moderate
stage of 24.8 feet on June 16 and then a record stage of 26.63 feet
on June 23 (see figure 2). Rulo is the Kansas City Districts most
upstream Missouri River gage. By the time the third crest reached
Rulo it only resulted in a flattening of the river hydrograph
without an actual rise in the river. Although the crest stage
exceeded the previous records in 1952 (25.60 feet) and 1993 (25.37
feet), the river discharge was only about 200,000 cubic feet per
second, much less than the approximately 307,000 cubic feet per
second in 1993. In both 1952 and 1993, the river flooded the entire
floodplain (due to levee breaks in 1993), but the levee system
mostly stayed intact with this event, and the river was constrained
at a higher level within the levees. Several site visits to
R513-512 levee in Rulo, Nebraska were performed. The goal of these
visits was to observe levee performance during the
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Lower Missouri River Basin 1241
record high water being experienced. Piezometer readings were
obtained to provide thresholds of anticipated water levels behind
the levee. These readings were compared to the most recent readings
available; readings from the 2008 flood, obtained June 6, 2008. At
the time of the readings river stages at Rulo, NE were 2.7 feet
higher than 2008. Most of the piezometers indicated water levels
higher than the ground surface. Relief wells were observed to be
flowing and functioning as designed.
Figure 2. USGS graphs show higher flows during this event
compared to normal.
As at other points along the Missouri River, as long as levees
dont breach or overtop, damages are limited to unprotected
agricultural fields between the river and the levees and a few
county roads. During this event a number of non-Federal levees,
some in the Corps PL 84-99 program, were overtopped or breached.
The Corps only has information on the Federal levees and the
non-Federal levees in the PL 84-99 program. Others not listed here
are known to have overtopped or breached. None of the Federal
levees were overtopped or breached.
The Union Township non-Federal levee upstream of Rulo in Holt
County, Missouri overtopped and then breached, flooding extensive
farmlands. Water also routed down to the small community of Big
Lake flooding homes and forcing evacuations. Some residents in
Fortescue, Missouri and Craig, Missouri evacuated voluntarily,
along with scattered farm homes. Power was interrupted, and for a
time the bridge across the river was closed. The Holt County Levee
District No. 10 non-Federal levee also overtopped,
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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations 1242
contributing to the flooding. Downstream of Rulo, the Canon
Drainage District non-Federal levee was overtopped, affecting
farmland. Sponsors sandbagged the crests of many levees, along with
endangered property, that directly affected the communities of
Fortescue and Craig. The state of Missouri specifically request use
of an automatic sandbagging machine owned by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. The sandbag machine benefited the flood fight efforts by
providing sandbags at a rate of over 40 a minute. The increased
sandbagging efficiency resulted in the use of fewer personnel for
filling sandbags, thus freeing up more personnel for the placement
of sandbags.
At St. Joseph, Missouri, the first crest was at a moderate stage
of 24.5 feet on June 17 and the second at 26.17 feet on June 25.
The Federal levees at L497 upstream of St. Joseph and at R470-461
on the Kansas side just downstream of St. Joseph at Elwood, Kansas,
experienced some sand boils behind the levees, but preventive
measures were taken and the levees were never in imminent danger
either of breaching or overtopping. Through training and use of the
flood fight training manual, levee district personnel and Kansas
City District personnel were able to appropriately observe and
identify several sand boils between levee stations and, while water
was not cloudy, material appeared to have been transported. Sand
boils were concentrated in an area of weakness on the levee, south
of the relief wells and north of an underseepage berm. This
observation prompted the sponsor to request a technical response
team. Upon arriving, the geotechnical engineer recommended
immediate sandbagging of sand boils.
Sand boils were ringed with sandbags until water flowing out of
the boils was clear. A sandbag machine and two operators were sent
to assist in the sandbagging operations. The local sponsors and
Kansas City District representatives were successful in stopping
the movement of levee material through the boils with the placement
of ring dikes. Filter fabric and 10 of sand were placed over a 20
by 30 area to cap a buoyant area. A Kansas City District in-house
drilling team was used to install three temporary relief wells
designed to relieve seepage pressures in this area as a
precautionary measure.
At Atchison, KS, the first crest was at a moderate level of 28.0
feet on June 17 and the second at 29.8 feet on June 25. On the
Missouri side, the Rushville Sugar Lake non Federal Levee
overtopped on June 25, but the sponsor continued to sandbag the
crest and overflow was minimal, limited to mainly agricultural
damages. For this particular floodfight, another automatic sandbag
machine was loaned to the levee district. Again, the timely rate of
sandbags allowed the sponsor to produce large numbers of sandbag in
a short amount of time, crucial during an overtopping event to
prevent further levee foundation damages.
The Missouri River reach through Kansas City is protected by
Federal levees and high agricultural levees. The NWS flood stage of
32 feet is higher than the stages recorded during this event,
although some undeveloped lowlands and some parkland above the
normal bank line were flooded.
The Missouri River at Waverly crested at a minor stage of 28.47
feet on June 18 and then 26.67 feet on June 26. The second crest
faded out entirely below Miami and the Grand River confluence. The
Waverly gage is important as an index gage not just for local
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Lower Missouri River Basin 1243
levee districts, but also for control of releases from the
Kansas River system of flood control reservoirs. In general,
releases from the lakes are restricted to minimum levels when
Waverly is above flood stage. Releases take up to 6 days from
Milford Lake, the upstream reservoir, and releases can be timed
accordingly to fill in on the recession side of the hydrograph.
Just above Waverly, the Baltimore Bend non-Federal Levee failed
(breached). The water flowed downstream along a lower portion of
the farmlands and then back into the river through an intentional
breach in the Belcher-Lozier non-Federal Levee.
The Grand River at Sumner, Missouri. crested at a moderate stage
of 36.55 feet on June 17. Extensive field flooding throughout the
Grand River basin occurred with this event, but most of this area
had already been flooded at least twice earlier in the year. The
Grand River is subject to frequent flash flood events.
The Missouri River at Glasgow crested at a major flood stage of
33.81 feet on June 20. The City Park, sewage lagoons, and the
approach to the US 240 bridge west of Glasgow were reported
flooded. Figure 3 shows that the 2007 and 2008 floods were also
significant events on the Missouri River, more so in 2007 than in
2010.
Figure 3. USGS comparison of historical flood events at the
Glasgow River Gauge.
Rathbun Lake is located on the Chariton River in southern Iowa.
The Chariton River drains south through Missouri and enters the
Missouri River upstream of Glasgow. Maximum releases from the lake
are 1500 cubic feet per second and do not contribute significantly
to the Missouri River flows. The primary objective for its
operations is the Chariton River itself. Like other rivers in Iowa,
the Chariton River flooded frequently in June and July. Rathbun
Lake filled to a crest of 926.77 feet (about 99.9% full) July 24.
Surveillance for Rathbun Lake is elevated from increased to
critical when the pool elevation rises above 923.0 feet as
established in its Critical Surveillance Plan. Previous Rathbun
Lake high pool elevations include 925 feet in 2008 and its record
pool was at 927.2 feet in July 1993. High pool levels combined with
high inflows resulted in releases of 3,000 cubic feet per second
for several days. The prolonged period of high outflows required
the placement of supplementary outlet protection stone. Over 1,000
tons of stone was sourced and placed from local quarries and the
on-site emergency stockpile.
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Releases in excess of 1,500 cubic feet per second result in
negative downstream impacts. To mitigate these impacts, 1,100 feet
of Port-a-dam (temporary floodwall) was installed to protect
downstream facilities. An alternate EOC was established to
coordinate flood fight operations with local officials. 200,000
sandbags, 8 light plants and one sandbagging machine with support
personnel were provided. Flood fight efforts protected the pump
house (sandbags) for the Rathbun Rural Water District facility
located along the right descending bank of the Chariton River
downstream of the Rathbun Lake outlet works. Response activities
were coordinated with Appanoose County EM and Iowa DHS. Another
successful risk communication strategy for the Chariton River flood
response effort involved the use of a joint press conference
between local, state, and federal officials. The press conference
was well attended by local and state media and offered a great
opportunity to appropriately vet public safety issues and concerns
with the pertinent public safety officials.
At Hermann, the Missouri River crested at a moderate stage of
27.24 feet on June 21. The lower river had actually fallen below
flood stage over the July 4th weekend, but the rainstorms on July
4-5 resulted in a minor rise above flood stage, with the crest date
July 10. Damages were minimal, although some county and state roads
were overtopped and some lower elevation businesses were either
closed or were operating with restricted access.
SUMMARY Mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery are the
four phases of emergency management of which the Kansas City
District utilizes to effectively complete its mission. Ensuring
quality flood damage reduction projects/infrastructure is
accomplished during the mitigation phase through rigid inspection
criteria. Plans, training, and exercises are accomplished during
the preparedness cycle. Proactive communication and response
efforts combined with innovative flood fight tools have proven
invaluable during the response cycle. Restoring damaged
infrastructure is then accomplished through the recovery cycle.
Lessons learned during the 2007 and 2008 flood events have allowed
the Kansas City District to provide a better response to the 2010
flood event. The Kansas City District used proactive communication
to adequately communicate critical infrastructure risk to its
stakeholders and public. Proactive communication with stakeholders
and public resulted in positive public perception and improved
working relationships with local stakeholders. In 2010
communication with levee board representative occurred early in the
flood event. As Missouri River levels began to rise, Kansas City
district personnel contacted levee board representatives.
Communication aimed to understand concerns and determine courses of
actions for affected levee boards or drainage districts. Early
communication allowed district personnel to better respond to levee
districts needs. Congressional delegation calls provided current,
accurate and reliable information to congressional delegations and
stakeholders within the impacted area regarding flooding and flood
fight operations. The conference calls occurred throughout the
flood fight with varying frequency, but occurred daily during
periods of critical river stages. The calls provided updates on
general conditions, reservoir conditions, levee conditions, flood
fight
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operations, navigation, EOC status, recovery actions and an
opportunity for questions. Participants in the calls included
congressional delegations, the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
the state emergency management agencies for Kansas and Missouri,
the Reservoir Control Center, and the National Weather Service. The
Kansas City District also produced press releases, responded to
media queries, participated in radio and television interviews and
held press conferences with subject matter experts. These efforts
provided situational awareness regarding flooding flood fight
response to the public.
Additional best practices included the extensive use of GIS
products for response personnel, both EOC and field team personnel.
GIS products offered the opportunity to identify specific areas of
concern. Once identified, efficient dispatching of fixed wing and
rotary assets occurred to adequately identify appropriate flood
fight response efforts. Liaison teams served as the ground
reconnaissance and upon coordinating with levee district personnel
further identified the problematic areas. Technical response teams
were then dispatched to provide technical assistance and identify
the most appropriate flood fight measure.
Points along the Missouri River and its tributaries reached
record stages during this flood event, however proactive
communication and implementation of lessons learned from 2007 and
2008 led to an improved 2010 flood fight effort. Efforts of
individuals from the Kansas City District and local stakeholders
combined to produce an effective flood fight and better prepare for
the next event.
REFERENCES Alexander, David (2002). Principles of Emergency
Planning and Management. Oxford U. Press. Blanchard, B. W. (2007).
Background Think Piece for the Emergency Management Roundtable
Meeting, EMI, March 5-6, 2007 on What is Emergency Management? and
What are the Principles of Emergency Management. Unpublished
manuscript.
Haddow, George D., and Jane A. Bullock (2006). Introduction to
Emergency Management, 2nd Edition (New York:
Butterworth-Heinneman).
Nicholson, William C., ed. (2003). Emergency Response and
Emergency Management Law: Cases and Materials (Springfield, IL:
Charles C. Thomas Publisher).
Waugh, William L., Jr., and Gregory Streib (2006). Collaboration
and Leadership for Effective Emergency Management, Public
Administration Review (December).
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