The river has gone through droughts which drastically reduced water levels in upstream reservoirs resulting in heavy recreational losses to the 1993 flood which took lives and caused millions of dollars in property damages. We believe navigation, the ability of barges to carry grain to downstream markets and fertilizer and other agricultural products upstream, does benefit the Siouxland economy. Therefore, any plan adopted by the Corps should insure that we do not lose that benefit of the river. We also believe that farmers downstream should not be subjected to flooding, losing crops and damaging their soil. At the same time we have seen the quality of the fishery in the area of the river from Yankton on downstream decline.
Young fish have no nursery areas and are simply swept downstream in the heavy flows.
Current management of the river has resulted in three species being placed on the federal endangered species list. Those are the pallid sturgeon, the least tern and the piping plover. Without changes in current management, those species will likely go the way of the passenger pigeon. We believe there is an alternative management plan which would accomplish all of the above goals as well as sustain high quality of recreation in the upstream states. A split navigation season would improve fish and wildlife habitat by providing more natural spring and summer flows in the river.