FLOOD PROJECT ADDS MORE WETLANDS

It isn't unusual that a proposed flood-control project prompts concerns of environmental interests. The latest rift has developed over a $65 million project in Missouri's Bootheel.

In 1989, flooding closed schools and collapsed sewers in East Prairie. To control future flooding, the project would involve construction of an improved levee maintained by the local levee district. The bulk of the project would be paid for with federal funds.

Supporters say it would be an economic boon that would protect East Prairie and the surrounding region from devastating floods. But Missouri Conservation Department officials say closing the levee gap would eliminate 25,000 acres of wetlands during floods that occur every two years. During bigger floods that occur sometimes every 10 years, 75,000 acres of wetlands would vanish, says the department.

The trade-off calls for 10,000 acres of mostly farmland being bought and converted into woodlands to provide habitat for wildlife. The Conservation Commission will further discuss the matter at its June 22 meeting.

Those inside the area to be protected favor the project. The concerns for the wetland are coming from outside the area. But the Bootheel's wetlands have diminished significantly because of flood-control projects over the last century, and if the project is to be carried out, the Conservation Department's concerns should be laid to rest with a plan that more than adequately offsets the anticipated wetland losses.