RIVER DROPS BELOW FLOOD STAGE AFTER 124 DAYS

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -The Mississippi River finally fell below flood stage at Cape Girardeau Tuesday. It had been above 32 feet for a record-breaking 124 consecutive days.

There was also good news on the east side of the river Monday.

The East Cape Girardeau-Clear Creek Levee District reopened all drains under the levee between McClure and Gale, Ill. That will allow more of the surface water that's been trapped behind the levee for more than four months to flow into the Mississippi River again.

The National Weather Service at St. Charles said the river at Cape Girardeau dropped to 29.5 feet Thursday, and was forecast to drop to 28.3 feet today, 27.3 feet on Saturday, and 26.5 feet on Sunday.

Since March 7 of this year, the Mississippi River at Cape has been at, or above, floodstage for 165 days. It rose above flood stage for the first time this year on March 18.

The river went into flood stage a second time on April 3, and remained there until May 31, for a total of 30 days.

On June 10, the Mississippi went into flood stage for a third time, and remained above flood stage until Oct. 12, for a total of 124 consecutive days. By comparison, the Corps of Engineers at St. Louis said during the 1973 flood, the river at Cape was at, or above, flood stage for only 98 consecutive days.

One of those especially glad to see the river below flood stage again is Bill Colyer, who lives and farms in the East Cape area. Colyer, who is also a commissioner on the East Cape Girardeau-Clear Creek Levee District board of commissioners, said Thursday the water level along Route 146, between East Cape and the Route 3-146 junction, dropped about six inches after the drains were opened this week. "There is now only about 12 inches over Bader Lane, between Route 146 and my house," he said.

Colyer, and others who live and farm in the East Cape-McClure area, are hoping the reopened drains and 10 pumps now operating around the clock on the levee, near Gale, Ill., will allow the water level in the fields will start falling more rapidly. This would enable the farmers to get into their fields and harvest what's left of this year's corn and soybean crop.

One thing is certain. There will be no breaching of the levee near Gale this time to allow the water to drain into the Mississippi River at a faster rate.

"It's the wrong time of the year to even think about that," said Colyer. "If the river came up while the levee was cut, there is no way we could close it in time to hold back the water. July (and dry weather) is a long time away."

At one time or another this year, over 26,000 acres of farmland was covered by a combination of seepwater coming up from below the ground because of high water on the Mississippi River, and rainwater that's accumulated inside the levee district since early last summer.

Despite the excess water, Colyer said some of the beans and corn crop planted this year has matured and is ready to harvest, if they can get to it. "I can see soybeans ready to harvest in the field right now, but it's either too wet or too muddy, or both, to get in there with a heavy combine," said Colyer. "Where we have been able to do some work, I have a four-wheel drive tractor and long wire cable ready in case the combine gets stuck in the gumbo soil.

"For most folks, the flood of 1993 is over, but it won't be over for us until the water is back in the river and our roads are open again, and all the crops are in, or at least what's left of them."