The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says that it is making changes to how it manages the Missouri River after receiving an earful from the public following a summer of record flooding in northwest Missouri.
The Corps says that it will be changing its approach to Missouri mainstream operations next season, and promised to be more flexible with water releases from upstream dams in Nebraska and South Dakota.
They also promised to work to improve communications, and hold bi-monthly conference calls with federal, state, county and local officials. The changes come after a series of public meetings in seven different states, including Kansas and Missouri, where people who live and work along the river voiced their criticism over how the Corps the river this past summer.
Many residents along the river claimed that the Corps of Engineers put recreation and environmental concerns from upstream states ahead of the flood-control needs of states like Missouri.
Flooding caused by the release of water from flood-swollen reservoirs upstream caused record amounts of damage along the river in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas.
