By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – The Army Corps of Engineers will take public comments Wednesday in St. Louis on its latest plan for the management of the Missouri River.
The Corps proposes two artificial rises on the river next spring, one in March and a second in May.
The agency says that would cue the spawning of the pallid sturgeon, a native Missouri fish protected by the Endangered Species Act.
But many farmers fear the rises would flood their crops. Randy Asbury with the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River says naturally occurring rises are severe enough:
Just this year alone there were situations in the spring where river levels increased 10 to 12 foot overnight, Asbury said. If that happened to coincide with the release of a man-made spring rise from Gavins Point Dam, then that's a potentially devastating situation for farmers and others along the river.
The Corps will take public comments through December 1, with a final plan expected by the start of the New Year.