Regional Headlines
(2011-11-07)
MURRAY, KY
(wkms) -
When the Army Corps of Engineers was forced to intentionally breach the Birds Point levee in southeast Missouri at the height of spring flooding, many feared the 130,000 acres of farmland would be a total loss for 2011. But farmers are midway through harvesting land that has recovered faster than expected. Estimates put crop yield in the flood plain at 30-50 bushels per acre, compared to 40 to 60 acres during a non-flood year. The corps decided to use explosives to blow open the levee on May 2 to relieve pressure on the river and reduce the threat of flooding at Cairo, IL. The levee is part of a floodway designed to be opened in times of severe flooding. This year's breach was the first of its kind at Bird's Point since 1937. Several homes, roads and property were destroyed, but experts say the land will continue to rebound quickly.
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