As Mississippi River crests, St. Louis area could dodge major flood impacts — at least temporarily
"We're thinking we're out of the woods for the immediate moment," said
Unlike in
Vast parts of
"This isn't a single burst of a storm," Wellenkamp said. "This is three processes working together to make this a high-risk spring for the entire corridor.
"We're going to be dealing with it for a while," he added, "certainly through April and maybe into May."
Some riverfront areas near
Sandbagging efforts are ongoing in river communities throughout the region, according to the
Areas receiving sandbags included
One agricultural levee was overtopped near
High river levels have also exerted pressure on commercial shipping along the
"Operations certainly are impacted," said
From a business perspective, Wilmsmeyer said it was better to have complications from the river surface now, compared to times when agricultural commodities such as corn and soybeans are more commonly shipped.
This spring's unfolding flood fight is a familiar one for regional authorities -- one that some say prompts changes to river management policies.
"Once again, we come back to the conversation that our mayors have continually been trying to have," Wellenkamp said. "We're trying to get to the point where our taxpayer isn't saddled with these multibillion-dollar aid packages. ... We'd rather focus on the mitigation side."
He said investment on mitigation strategies, such as wetland restoration along riverways, "saves the taxpayer 6 to 1" compared to spending for disaster relief. He added that more drastic changes, such as removing levees blamed for worsening flooding elsewhere, could be a part of longer-term solutions as long as farmers and others affected would be fairly compensated for taking on any additional flood risk.
But reform and infrastructure bills that may address those matters are still off on the horizon. For the next month or so, eyes around
"It keeps you on the precipice, whether or not enough rain comes to push you off," Wellenkamp said.
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