River at Cairo goes over 61 feet; Corps still loading explosives
Posted by JAC on 5/2/2011, 12:49 pm
http://www.semissourian.com/story/1723568.html


CAIRO, Ill. -- The Ohio River at Cairo is now over 61 feet, the level at which the Army Corps of Engineers can activate the Birds Point New Madrid Floodway.
The river stage stood at 61.08 at 10:30 a.m. after shattering the previous record of 59.51 Sunday. The river had risen 1.32 feet in the preceding 24 hours.

The corps announced via social media service Facebook that pipes on the Birds Point levee were still being filled with explosives just after 8 a.m. The 20-hour process of filling the pipes began Sunday afternoon.

If Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission, gives the order, the levee will be breached and the river will flow over about 130,000 acres of fertile farmland. The move would relieve pressure on the flood-control system and hopefully prevent uncontrolled levee failures at Cairo and other spots.

Once the explosives are loaded, Walsh could give the order to breach at any time.

Look for updates throughout the day at www.semissourian.com.
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??? on New Madrid Fault and the Peaking River - BobbiStorm, 4/28/2011, 5:06 pm
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