Community Corner

Missouri River Expected to Rise in St. Charles by Friday

Officials say there's still no cause for alarm.

Officials are still keeping a close eye on the Missouri River.

With water levels expected to rise, officials from the City of Chesterfield and the Monarch-Chesterfield Levee District continue to monitor upstream Missouri River conditions. , Chesterfield Planning and Public Works Director Mike Geisel said there's still no cause for alarm.

There is some significant flooding on the upper Missouri River, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hasΒ begun a controlled release of some of the water from the Gavins Point Dam, which is on the border of Nebraska and South Dakota. The dam is releasing about 20,000 to 30,000 more cubic feet of water per second, raising its total discharge to about 150,000 cubic feet per second. That flow is now included in current river projections.

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At this time, Geisel said in a news release, river levels remain below flood level at the St. Charles gauge. Tuesday morning, that gauge read 24.72 feet. It's predicted to trend downward through Friday, but then start to rise late Friday evening. Geisel said the river is expected to crest somewhere between 32 and 37 feet in St. Charles, taking into account the increased output from Gavins Point Dam and normal rainfall. That could cause some flooding. Water will begin to overtop the agricultural levee somewhere between 33 and 34 feet on the St. Charles gauge, Geisel said. But, there's no reason to worry. That levee is 2,000 feet north of the Monarch-Chesterfield Levee, which protects Chesterfield Valley.Β 

Officials are also monitoring gauges in Kansas City and Hermann, MO. Geisel said in the news release that gauges in Kansas City and further upstream have begun to trend upward as of Tuesday morning. The Hermann gauge was at 21.87 feet Tuesday. It's expected to trend down through Thursday, but then begin to increase.

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Based on gauge readings taken this morning, river levels are trending up in Kansas City and points upstream.

Despite expected rises, Geisel's email indicates there's no cause for alarm. He offered up information about the Great Flood of 1993 to put concerns in perspective. That flood, he said, exceeded 40 feet at the St. Charles gauge. And the Monarch-Chesterfield Levee has been raised anywhere from 5 to 8 feet since then, depending on location. Sand berms have been added and the levee has been widened. It's believed that the levee would protect the Valley even if water levels rose to 47 or 48 feet at the St. Charles gauge.

High water levels are expected through the summer. The Corps of Engineers has said the increased output at Gavins Point Dam will likely continue through the middle of August.

Geisel encouraged residents to sign up for the city's email river updates to receive periodic information about current river levels and forecasts.Β 

He also included information about the Valley Watch Warning system, which establishes the criteria for phases of the city's response plan should the river flood. The Valley Watch is initiated when the National Weather Service projects the river will rise to or above 28 feet in Hermann, MO. To read more about that system, .


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