EMERSON WANTS STUDY OF FLOOD CONTROL SYSTEM

WASHINGTON -- In order to fully assess the Upper Mississippi River Valley's flood control system, Midwest lawmakers combined their efforts Thursday in sponsoring bipartisan legislation to order a definitive study in the region.

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson cosponsored legislation that, if approved, would direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine the adequacy of the flood control system, why it failed and what should be done to prevent a recurrence of the recent devastation.

Emerson joined Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), the author of the measure, as a primary sponsor of the bill.

"These floods that we are currently experiencing demand that our flood control system in the Upper Mississippi Valley needs a thorough examination," Emerson said Thursday. "We have seen hundreds of levees breached in the last few weeks.

"Even though this is our nation's worst flood on record, I would hope we could learn something in its aftermath to mitigate such severe damage in the future," Emerson continued. "I believe a full assessment of our flood control system by the Army Corps is in order and is timely."

Through a study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the proposed legislation would seek:

To improve the flood protection on the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries in order to protect the public health and safety, maintain commerce and reduce economic losses due to flooding;

To assess the adequacy of current flood control measures and recommend improvements to protect critical public facilities and prevent the release of hazardous materials into floodwaters; and

To examine the federal and non-federal role in funding the construction and maintenance of flood control measures on the Mississippi River and its tributaries and recommend changes to improve flood protection for high priority facilities and areas.

"People in the Upper Mississippi Valley have questioned the Corps' flood protection in the past; whereas, in the Lower Valley have a systems that has proven to work rather well," Emerson said. "I think they are now looking at our systems, which begins at Cairo, Ill., and wondering if it's feasible to put a similar or modified one in place to work for them."