Dredging the Lake and Rivers

Flood Control

Filling water canteen half full of sand is not gong to help in the desert.

Filling the worlds fresh water reservoirs with sand is not going to help during a flood.

Good Morning,

I was just watching C-Span.org and just realized that Congress has eliminated the flood control program that was in place when I worked for the Army Corps of Engineers (1970-2000). How did they do it? Well they non-funded the Army Corps of Engineers because they wanted a small government profile. I saw the congressman drilling a general as to why the government is not prepared for flooding emergencies.

I have written several times to the President Obama about dredging the rivers across the nation so that you can deal with the flooding. Reservoirs and deeper river beds with help move water away from places they should not be.

You must compromise with the EPA because they have a strong stance on dredge fill and where it is to be deposited.

Since Ronald Reagan was president we have cut back the size of the Federal Government. One of the maintenance programs that has been cut badly is the dredging of the rivers and lakes in the United States. Because of this 20-year lack of funds the Army Corps of Engineers must run their business on shoestring budgets and cut back on badly needed maintenance. This may be the first time in over 20 years that they have enough to pay for some of this maintenance.

It is a little too late for the folks that have communities under water this morning.

Flooding

Lakes maintain water elevations for drinking water and flood control.

The Ohio River where I worked for 30 years maintained 9' water elevations to move cargo from upper end of the river to the lower end of the river. River depth is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers who in turn hire dredges to remove silt and sand away from the river channels. When I first started working on the Ohio River the dredges moved the silt and sand to the bank where farmers moved the soil to an appropriate area; by removing the silt and sand in this way the rivers were wide and deep. In today's environment the dredged silt and sand is not allowed to leave the river and small islands are created making the river smaller and shallower. The volume of water stored in the Ohio river is at least half of what it was 30 years ago because the sand and silt is only moved to other areas by natural water erosion and silting methods; the earth’s gravity is always wanting to flatten the earth, so it moves silt and sand to low points and banks.

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By removing the silt from all area lakes in the south, more water can be stored in reservoirs and lakes. Ingram Materials in Paducah Kentucky removes sand and gravel from the river locally. By removing the silt from all area lakes in the south, more water can be stored in reservoirs and lakes. Local county and city lakes can buy or hire dredges to dig their lakes deeper. Environmental law will have to be changed to accommodate the idea of moving the silt and sand to the lake banks. Local area grant money in today’s environment is used to bring families to rural areas not to dig their lakes deeper.

What you can do is send your congressman this post about dredging our lakes and rivers. If those lakes and rivers hold more water than the Corps can control the floods better - give it a thought.

Dredging reservoirs (In Kentucky (removing silt to dry land)) makes them deeper creating more water for drinking and flood control; it could make you look smart.