Community Corner

No Threat of Missouri River Flooding

Chesterfield Public Works Director Mike Geisel said city staff are constantly monitoring river levels.

There's no current or pending threats of flooding from the Missouri River, according to an email from Chesterfield Public Works Director Mike Geisel.

Geisel said the Public Works staff regularly monitors river conditions. The latest readings, from 6 a.m. on Wednesday, indicate that there's nothing to worry about. The St. Charles gauge, which is about one half-day downstream from Chesterfield Valley, was read at 24.89 feet. 

Geisel said the water level is expected to rise another half foot over the next three days. It's expected to crest on Saturday based on predicted rain fall for the next 24 hours. The river has exceeded its normal levels and is in "flood stage," but Geisel said in the email, that doesn't mean there is any flooding or properties in danger. 

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"If you happen to drive over the Daniel Boone Bridge, even though the river is at flood stage, you'll notice that it is still wholly contained within the river channel and as much as a half mile away from the Monarch-Chesterfield Levee," he said.

To put things in perspective, the Great Flood of 1993 crested at an elevation of 40.4 feet in St. Charles. Since then, Geisel said, the Monarch-Chesterfield Levee has been raised and improved. 

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"I would also point out that the agricultural levee has not been overtopped since 1995," Geisel said in the email. "The agricultural levee is generally described as a ten-year levee. Under normal, average conditions, we would expect the agricultural levee to overtop on a 10-year average frequency."

Geisel did say that flash flooding is possible. Small waterways, creeks and tributaries are susceptible to flooding when the ground is saturated and rain continues.

"Localized intense rainfalls can cause such waterways to quickly rise, flood and inflict dramatic damage," Geisel said. Do not drive through flooded roads or standing water because as little as 6 to 8 inches of water can lift and float a vehicle, he warned. Flowing water is even more dangerous.


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