Temporary floodwall system is promising

The demonstration of Geocell System's Rapid Deployment Floodwall last week was fascinating.

In a side-by-side comparison, one group of volunteers slaved away with shovels and sandbags, while another quickly snapped the new plastic floodwall components into open position. Once the pieces -- which look a little like large ice-cube trays -- were set up, a small front-end loader quickly dumped course sand into the open squares. At the end of 30 minutes, the first group had produced only a handful of sandbags. The second group had erected a 20-foot-long floodwall, which is the equivalent of 1,000 sandbags. The plastic pieces used in the demonstration are expected to be good for up to five more fillings.

The idea certainly is promising, especially in flood-prone Missouri. Temporary levees up to 6 feet high could be up in a matter of hours instead of days.

One major problem with the demonstration was that it took place on the very dry and level downtown parking lot. There was no way to tell how this new kind of floodwall would stand up to actual flood conditions: uneven, soggy and muddy terrain covered with weeds, rocks, trees and bushes..

The timing of the demonstration was interesting too: a week after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies and volunteers had to build a real levee in Dutchtown, Mo. Granted, one doesn't want to try new technology when an actual town is at stake, but real floodwater is going to be needed for effective demonstrations of a temporary floodwall.

To that end, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau is doing what she thinks is best for taxpayers. She hopes to get a $2 million appropriation to pay for a pilot program to determine how well the wall system works. Under her proposal, at least a portion of that test program would be executed in Southeast Missouri.

If it works, then Geocell Systems could receive a government contract. The asking price is $12 million for 16 miles of floodwall, although company officials say they'd sell it for less.

Another good reason to pursue this project is Geocell's relationship to Spartech Plastics, which has a plant in Cape Girardeau. A government contract would mean more jobs at the local facility.

Certainly, this technology is worth a closer look in a state that must fight the floodwaters of two major rivers at increasingly regular intervals.