Birds Point Levee Should Be Restored by Year's End
By WestKyStar Staff
BIRDS POINT, MO - The Mississippi River Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are moving forward with full restoration of the Birds Point Levee to its pre-2011 height by the end of this year.
This part of the Mississippi River and Tributaries system was breached with three explosions, just as designed, to relieve pressure on the larger system during the flood of 2011. This kept Cairo, IL and several other river towns from flooding, by covering 130,000 acres of Missouri farmland with water. Several dozen homes were also damaged.
The work will restore the levee to a height equivalent to 62.5 feet on the Cairo river gauge, as well as its original width.
"With public safety our number one priority, we are working as hard as possible to complete the work this year," said the Corps' Memphis District Commander Col. Vernie Reichling.
Estimates on restoring the levee assume construction crews will make scheduled progress on regional work in Fulton County, KY and near Cairo. Good construction weather and favorable river stages will also be a factor.