Mississippi River: Actions Are Needed to Help Resolve Environmental and Flooding Concerns About the Use of River Training Structures
Abstract
For more than 130 years the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has used dikes to train the Mississippi River channel and maintain adequate depth for navigation. The Corps relies heavily on these structures including some with more recent designs in the Middle Mississippi, between the confluences of the Missouri and Ohio Rivers. Over the past few decades, some researchers have raised concerns about the structures cumulative impacts on the environment and the height of floodwaters. For the Corps river training structures in the Middle Mississippi, GAO was asked to examine (1) key requirements and directives that govern their use, (2) how the Corps has addressed key environmental requirements, (3) the extent to which their hydrologic and environmental impacts are monitored, and (4) concerns that researchers have raised about hydrologic and environmental impacts and how the Corps has responded. GAO reviewed relevant laws, regulations, agency documents, and key studies, and interviewed Corps officials and other researchers and experts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- AD1179784
Entities
People
- Anu K. Mittal
- David F. Brown
- Elizabeth Beardsley
- George Depaoli
- Mark Keenan
- Perry Lusk
- Rebecca Shea
- Vondalee R. Hunt
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office