By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – A group of scientists from three universities in the area says the Army Corps of Engineers is disregarding scientific data that questions the way it manages the Mississippi river.
The group says structures such as wing dikes and chevrons meant to control water flow and aid navigation have made water levels high enough to top floodwalls and levees.
The Corps claims the dikes actually reduce the flood risk because they force the water into a narrow channel and lower the river bottom by scouring away sediment.
But geologist Nicholas Pinter of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale said the corps is being negligent and undertaking "dangerous experiments."
"The claim that these navigational structures deepen the channel sufficiently to alleviate any increase in flood stage is an assertion," Pinter said. "It is not scientifically proven."
Pinter says thousands of people who live near the river in the Metro East are in danger.
He and his colleagues are calling for an official government study and a halt to construction of new dikes.
However David Busse with the Army Corps of Engineers said the dikes have the opposite effect and lower river levels.
"We can put this to bed right now," Busse said. "Dikes do not cause a problem with flood heights. We have over 1,000 dikes in this area, and flood heights are not impacted by that. We have the data to prove it."