First phase of Birds Point levee restoration complete

The first phase of work to restore the Birds Point levee to its original height has been completed.

Glen Bullington, a civil engineer technician with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on Friday said the second phase of building on the levee is about 75 percent complete. The first phase of work included resto

ring the levee to 55 feet of protection on the Mississippi River gauge at Cairo, Ill. The second phase will restore the levee to its full height, which is 62.5 feet of protection on the Cairo gauge. Recent rains have pushed back the completion of the second phase by a few days since wet soil can't be moved and compacted, Bullington said.

The corps intentionally breached the levee May 2011 during record flooding on the Mississippi River.

The original timeline called for the levee to be restored by the end of 2012.

Pertinent address:

Wyatt, MO

Cairo, IL