Evening star., 1952-04-17
The Raging Missouri

The mighty Missouri is once again on wild
rampage. At the moment, its crest of about
31.5 feet-12h feet over flood stages surging
down through Nebraska and Iowa against the
metropolitan area of Omaha and Council Bluffs.
Although it has not been taking lives, it has
already driven tens of thousands of people from
their homes and afflicted vast region with soil
and property damage that may yet total hun
dreds of millions of dollars. AS far as official
records CO. the river has never before put on
such destructive show.
good measure of the foods unprecedented
nature can be found in the fact that the
Missouri's present crest is almost feet higher
than the previous all-time high of 246 feet,
as recorded in 1881. The Omaha levees-built
since 1943-are capable of holding 26.6 feet.
Apparently, when that height was decided upon,
the assumption was that a two-foot margin
above the 1881 hgure-never duplicated in the
intervening years-would be excellent insurance
for the metropolitan area But rivers, like other
forces Of nature, have way of upsetting as
sumptions and running counter to mans most
careful calculations and best-laid plans
Nevertheless, floods can be controlled, and
the Missouri today would certainly be doing less
damage If in the past more upstream dams had
been built and other measures taken to deal
with what happens to great river when 1t is
suddenly fed by heavy rains and tremendous
amounts of melting snow. Actually, of course,
the potentialities and depredations of this par
ticular river have long been subjected to careful
study, and work has gone forward toward de-
veloping an effective control system. The trouble
is, though, that not enough work has gone for
ward. Progress has been delayed, for example,
by farmers who do not want their land taken
over as dam sites. 1t has been delayed, too, by
such things as State and Federal jurisdictional
disputes, inadequate congressional appropra-
tions, and controversy over how best to go about
doing the job.
AS authorized in 1914, a complete plan
already exists for the job. Originally drafted as
Joint undertaking of the Army Engineers and
the Bureau of Reclamation, this plan-the Pick
Sloan plan-envisions long-range projects to
control floods, improve navigation, promote irri-
cation and develop electric power. But most OF
these projects have been slowed by numerous
factors, including opposition forces who want
to create Missouri Valley Authority like the
iva, and others who want something else again.
Controversy, in short, continues to aggravate
the problem and hamper its solution.
In such situation, the interests Of the
country as a whole demand that all the parties
directly involved-on the local, State and Federal
levels-work together for agreement on a hard
and-faSt program that can be put to work free
of unwarranted Interruptions and delays The
raging Missouri makes clear that the present
approach to the problem is anything but good
enough. True, nature being what it is, there
can never be absolute guarantees against floods,
but obviously we can do much better than we
have been doing in controlling them to cut
down on their great injury to the Nation.