Mighty Mississippi

The Mississippi River could be considered Cape Girardeau's biggest asset.

It's unlikely the city would've grown to where it is now, if not for the town's prime location on the country's largest river. Without the river, city founder Louis Lorimier probably wouldn't have set up a trading post here.

But the same resource from which the city drew its life has also been one of Cape Girardeau's biggest enemies over the years.

For decades, the river was notorious for flooding downtown businesses. For much of the city's history, flooding was almost an annual occurrence in the business district. The river front area was ravaged by major flooding in 1927, 1943, 1944, 1947 and 1951.

The shoe factory and the old power plant and the railroad were often inundated. Some businesses remained open by building boardwalks above the water. But certainly the muddy water wasn't good for sales.

Discussions of the need for downtown flood protection started after the devastating flood of 1927, which historians refer to as the greatest natural disaster in the country's history. While the flood was worse farther south where several levees broke, the flood at least brought protection solutions to the table. One idea that was discussed but not officially proposed was a folding flood wall that could be laid down during nonflood years.

After years of discussion, a solution was offered to build a wall in 1943. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a meeting to gather input. The corps announced plans for the wall in 1955.

The troubles ended in 1964 with the completion of the flood wall, built to hold back a flood of 54 feet on the Cape Girardeau gauge. Construction on the project began in 1956, and the wall cost $4 million.

The project, which includes earthen levees, is 7,210 feet long. The wall is 4,000 feet, ranging from 6 feet to 16 feet.

And now, thanks to murals that depict the city's and region's history, it's also a canvas.

The system, built by the corps, includes two pumping stations, five gates and six drainage structures. The system has saved uptown merchants millions of dollars in damages. Had the wall not been in place during the 1993 flood, there would have been up to 8 feet of water at the intersection of Main and Independence streets.

The wall idea wasn't received well by all. On Dec. 4, 1957, a lawsuit was filed by L.R. Cain, who operated the Cape Boat and Sporting Goods Co., to halt construction. It was argued that the city would lose a major tourism attraction if the river were blocked from view and that the end result would be a loss to businesses.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers included a gate in the design to allow tourists to see the river and the case was dismissed a day later.

Others didn't want the wall to block their view of the river. In fact, there was enough disagreement on how the downtown area should be protected that the dedication ceremony was downplayed.

But over the years, particularly in 1993, downtown merchants came to love the wall.

Storm water issues

The river water isn't the only water that has brought destruction to Cape Girardeau. The Cape LaCroix and Walker creek watersheds have provided some dramatic floods over the years, floods that worsened as more concrete was poured and more rooftops were built within the city, giving water less areas to soak into the earth.

Some of the most notable floods came in March 1977, August 1982, May 1986, April 1993 and May 1995.

While there had been talk of improving the city's storm water system for years, the 1986 flash flood put the project on the fast track.

More than 10 inches of rain fell in 24 hours in some places. Cape Girardeau saw 6.64 inches. The flood caused more than $56 million in flood damage. The Town Plaza might as well have been a wading pool.

"How could I forget it?" said Rodney Bridges, owner of Garber's men's clothing store at the Town Plaza. The event cost him $100,000 in damages. "It was a nightmare. I get chills even thinking about it."

Construction on the watershed infrastructure began in 1996. The project, which included a huge detention structure north of town, was dedicated in the spring of 2004.

The concrete base of the spillway is 5 1/2 feet thick. The spillway is 100 feet wide. A levee that stands 43 feet from top to bottom would detain water in a 150-acre reservoir. A 54-inch concrete pipe runs underneath the 210-foot base of the levee, which would allow floodwater to escape into Cape La Croix Creek at a controlled pace.

The project cost $40 million.

In May 2002, when the bulk of the detention basin was constructed, the city saw 3.61 inches of rain. The detention basin worked, keeping rainwater in ditches and creeks for the most part.

The city paid 25 percent of the project with a quarter-cent capital improvement tax. The federal government paid the rest.

The city of Jackson hasn't had the same flooding problems as Cape Girardeau. Some more notable floods occurred in May 2002 and June 1997. Water got into some lower levels of homes within the floodplain, but there wasn't widespread damage.

However, officials in the county seat have put storm water ordinances in place to help control the water.

The city now requires developers to install retention basins. The basins are to hold storm water so water flows at the same rate it did before the development.

A storm water committee, with officials from Cape Girardeau, Jackson and the National Resource Conservation Service, are meeting periodically to formulate some ideas for the county as well.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635