FYI - Here's what we are up against in Sioux City. We are going to need as many people as we can get to speak for the river and its wildlife. Jane Clark There will be a workshop from 2-5 p.m. and a public hearing from 7-10 p.m. in Sioux City on October 11 on the Missouri River Master Manual Environmental Impact Statement. Hamilton Inn 1401 Zenith Drive Sioux City, IA 51103 (712) 277-3211 NCGA Tells Corps: No Spring Rise on the Missouri River (10-9-01) Thursday night in Sioux City, Iowa, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins the first of 10 public meetings on proposed changes to its Master Manual for the Missouri River. At that meeting, members of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) will be on hand to explain the organization's opposition to one of the proposed changes: a spring rise on the Missouri. "NCGA supports management of the Missouri River that places the highest priority on economic uses of the river. That means flood control for farmland, navigation and irrigation," notes Paul Bertels, NCGA director of production and stewardship. "NCGA opposes Corps of Engineers changes that have the potential to harm farmers and agriculture because of reduced navigation or potential for spring rise." The Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Missouri River Master Water Control Manual Review and Update details six alternatives. The Corps will have a six-month public comment period with workshops and hearings held from Helena, Mont., to New Orleans, La., to explain the plans and take public comments. Written comments will be also be accepted by mail and Internet. The Corps intends that the Final Environmental Impact Statement contain a single preferred alternative when released for public review in May 2002. Bertels listed the reasons NCGA opposes the Spring Rise: * The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has failed to scientifically demonstrate how a Spring Rise would enhance or improve the habitat for the pallid sturgeon, least tern and piping plover. * The spring rise would coincide with the time that the Missouri and its tributaries are normally at their highest levels. Combining increased reservoir discharges, high tributary inflows, and the normally occurring spring storms would unnecessarily increase the likelihood of floods. * Many of the drainage ditches and canals empty directly into the Missouri or its tributaries. Higher river levels would impede the drainage and cropping of thousands of acres of land behind the levees. * The spring rise would eliminate the barge industry on the Missouri River. Higher spring flows would place additional operating restriction on tows. The split season associated with the spring rise would force the towing industry off of the Missouri from July through September. The logistical and operating expenses associated with dual season opening and closing would make navigation on the Missouri unprofitable. * The spring rise would decrease power generation and increase utility bills for millions of Americans. To support higher discharges in the spring, the hydroelectric generators located at each reservoir on the Missouri would cut output because of reduced water discharges. * The spring rise could jeopardize navigation on the Mississippi River. During droughts, the Missouri River provides more than 60 percent of the water in the Mississippi River from St. Louis to the mouth of the Ohio. Curtailed discharges from the Missouri reservoirs during a drought would mean that navigation on the Mississippi River would grind to a halt, stranding millions of tons of cargo. Copies of the Summary of the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement, workshop schedule and other support material are available at www.nwd.usace.army.mil or by writing to Project Manager, Master Manual Review and Update, 12565 West Center Rd., Omaha, NE 68144. For more information about National Corn Growers Association and the Missouri River visit http://www.ncga.com/transportation/main/index.html. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]