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It is the sixth largest river in the world and millions live along its banks. From its headwaters in the north woods of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, the waters of the Mississippi touch 10 states. The Missouri River, which some believe to be a tributary of the Mississippi, winds more than 2,315 miles from its source in western Montana to its junction with the Mississippi in St. Louis.
Both of these powerful waterways are used for agriculture, commerce and recreation. The corn, soybeans and wheat grown in the Mississippi/Missouri basin feed not only the United States but also much of the world, and weather can mean the difference between a bumper crop and a ruined one. The Mississippi/Missouri system is also a major route for the transport of coal, grain and other bulk cargoes -- and flood, drought or freeze can cripple shipping for months at a time.
These rivers are most often our friends but when their waters rise, the Mighty Mississippi and the "Big Muddy" can become formidable enemies.
That is what happened during the spring and summer of 1993. Sometimes described as a "leisurely" disaster because it resulted not from one single storm
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but from a weather pattern that remained stationary for months, the Great Midwest Flood of 1993 covered 400,000 square miles in the upper Mississippi and lower Missouri river basins, took the lives of 50 people, destroyed or damaged 50,000 homes, inundated 75 cities and towns, and cost close to $20 billion.
No other natural disaster in American history touched so many lives for so long a time. The Flood of 1993 was distinctive because of its magnitude, severity, damage and timeframe. Typically, floods occur in the spring. This flood began in the summer along the Mississippi and the Missouri, continued into the fall and did not finally subside until October. In Hannibal, Mo., for example, the Mississippi remained above flood stage for more than six months.
How did this happen? Why was this flood so different? What have we learned? Let's take a look.
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"May is American Wetlands Month"
A Celebration of Nebraska's Wetlands
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By Gloria Bucco
Nebraska may not sit beside an ocean, its boundaries don't touch a Great Lake, you won't find any bayous here, and not one inch of our state is covered by rainforest. But Nebraska has something valuable and unique you might not expect to find in a semi-arid, land-locked place: Nebraska has wetlands. Diverse, irreplaceable, beautiful, natural and wild wetlands. They're an asset and a safeguard.
From the eastern saline wetlands near Lincoln, to the playa wetlands in the north-central and western parts of the state, to the vast Sandhills wetlands, and the riverine wetlands along the Platte, Missouri, Elkhorn and Niobrara, these extraordinary places are essential not only to wildlife and plants, but also to us. (Continue reading)
Flooding News Briefs
From Around the World
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Don't Rely on Past Data for Future Water Plans
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The past is no longer a reliable base on which to plan the future of water management, according to a prominent group of hydrologists and climatologists. Writing in the journal Science, the group noted that until now, water managers have operated on the premise that historical patterns could be counted on to continue. But human-induced changes to Earth's climate have begun to shift the averages and the extremes for rainfall, snowfall, evaporation and stream flows. These are crucial factors, according to the group, when planning for floods or droughts, choosing the size of water reservoirs or deciding how much water to allocate for residential, industrial and agricultural uses. "Climate change magnifies the possibility that the future will bring droughts or floods you never saw in your old measurements," said lead author Christopher Milly, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
Source: Science Daily
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Huge Snowpack Could Cause Flooding
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Snowpack this spring in the Colorado mountains is the highest it's been in 11 years. Substantially increased snowpack levels are being measured at some 3,000 sites in 12 states monitored by the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. And that means more runoff in both the westward-flowing Colorado and the eastward-flowing Arkansas. In fact, Lake Powell, stretching more than 100 miles across Utah and Arizona, is expected to rise 50 feet from its current depleted level. This winter was the region's wettest since 2004-05. The reason was an unusually strong jet stream that pushed winter storms farther across the West than expected. Cold weather then allowed the snow to build up rather than melt away. More than a half-dozen significant rivers originate in the Colorado mountains and flow through at least 10 other states including Nebraska. Forecasters say the threat of floods caused by melting show is still unclear; however, a sudden spike in temperature could push rivers and streams out of their banks.
Source: Associated Press
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Iowa Passes New Water Protection Law
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Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed a new law in April that creates a Water Resource Coordinating Council that will direct the management of the state's water resources. The Iowa Surface Water Protection Act is the result of more than two years of work by the Iowa Watershed Quality Planning Task Force. The council will coordinate 12 state agencies to assess Iowa's water resources. It will also develop a marketing campaign to educate and engage Iowans about the need to take personal responsibility for water quality in their local watershed.
Source: Environment New Service
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