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<br />3880
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<br />MISSOURI RIVER B..\SIX
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<br />REPORT OF THE nOAIl.D OF EXGlXEEnS FOR Rn"ER:5 AXD HAnnOHS
<br />\\~An DEP...RT1U;)i'T,
<br />TIfE BOARD OF ESGISEERS FOR HIY.ERS ASD IhRRORs,
<br />Wasldngron, Augu....t 23, 1943.
<br />Subjf'ct: ),fissouri River, mouth to Sioux Cit)., Iowa.
<br />To; The Chief DC Engineers, United States Army.
<br />1. Thi!' report is in response to the following resolution adopted
<br />May 13, 1943:
<br />Ruolwd. by 1M GlmmilU6 0,," Flood Cnttrol, J/ouu of RtprtUPltati~,. That the
<br />Board of Enwneel'lJ (ur Rh"erll and lIarbol'l!, c",sled und('r sectioll 3 of the River
<br />and Harbor Act appro\'{'<! June 13, 1002, be, and i3 hereby, rpqUl'tited to T'e\'icw
<br />the n>port on the :'\1I"90uri Hiver contailJl'd in BOll*! Document Xo. 23~. Sevcnty_
<br />third Con~. second l!e6lIion, and House DocuOlent :0;0. 821, Se\"entf'8ixtb
<br />Coll~, third _ion, ",-jlh a view to de({'nlijllill~ whether an)' Iilooifh"ation
<br />Ihol.lld be made t.herein aL Lbi8 time with re.oJ.lf'ct to t!ood control along the main
<br />stein of the ~fi.&lourl Rh'or rrOlll Sioux Citr, 101l'a, to its mouth.
<br />2. The .\fissouri Rin.r hilS it.s roUn.'IJ in southwl'Sh'rn .\Ioutann,
<br />flows g('uerally enst und south for 2,460 miles through or lllollg' ~(''\''('u
<br />States, Ilnd emptif's into the .\Iissi~;;.ippi Hiwr 17 milt'S ll.),ovl' St. Louis,
<br />.\10. It drains ;'29,3.50 square mill'S oousistinl! Illrgdy of pluillS but
<br />induding aiM l'astf'rly slop(>s of the Hocky .\IOllntllins lmd other rUl!g'wl
<br />Il!!as. ..:\oo,:t 60 I:ll'rccut of the ~'ntersll('d is uPr;;trNu~ C~Hn Si.oux
<br />City, Iown, 11;0 null'S nbo\'c t1w rlVf'r mouth. The pnnclpnl tnbu-
<br />tanes !.wlo\\' Sioux Cil" nre the PiattI' nnd KUI1Sll~ Hiw.rs frolll the
<br />Wt';.;l tlnt! the Grl\lJd, (f"llg'(', tlJlO G1IS{'onadl' Hi'l'r,; in .\fi;;souri. The
<br />aVl'rage nllnual pl'tX'ipitntioll rungl's from 2H inl'lw'l lit Sioux City to
<br />40 indws ll.t the riwr month. Till' soils nrt' \'t'ry f('rtile find fl!!ri('ultllre
<br />is tll(> prf'tlominullt lll.nd U~, Sioux City, the KUIISHS Citys, lit mile
<br />3ii, !lnd Ihf' intf'rn:'lling cities of ()nllllul, .\'I'br., ttrlll COllnci] B]uffs,
<br />]OW8, on OPTkositf' gidl's of tJw .\fi'lsouri Hinr lit milt, 6:32, contain
<br />Inlln:v major industril'>l alld important rnilrn.od Cilf'ilitil'';. During
<br />droug-ht Pl.riods till' rt'j!ions in the ,'ieinitx oC Devils Luke Ilnd JfllJlt'8
<br />Hin.r in the Dilkotas IM'come so ~hort of wntt't thnt till' ('III ire popu-
<br />lation both hUllum llnd animnl is >iubje('t to g-rl'llt hardships. The
<br />problem of u pO.....'lihll. diw.n;.ion of wah'r from tilt, IIppl'r .\Iissouri
<br />Rin'r to tho,.>I.': ilrt'tlS has Ill'f'n undt'r (',oJlsidt'rntion Cor l\ IOIlg" Iwnod.
<br />3. Con~'T(':'.." has llUlhorizM impron'mf'lIt of the :\fissouri Hinr for
<br />IUl\;j!lltioll to St'CUtl' a minimum low wl\terdf'pth of 6 f('d l}f't\n'l'n thl"
<br />mouth and Sioux City b\' IIlt'llIlS (If hunk rl',.("tlll('1I1, ('()llslru('tion oC
<br />p("Mlleflhlt' dik~ to contract the low water c1uHlIIcl Rnll stnbilizc tlw
<br />watl'M'-ay. and by drf'li.cin~. AltllOUgh thi", work has IIOt bf't.u l'Olll-
<br />ph.tt'll, ('Olllmercittl Use is made of the rin'r and the {'OIH.trudioll a{'-
<br />l'omplidH'o hflS rt'lIlo\'t'f{ the> threst of hllnk erosion and tll(' O('{'lIrTencc
<br />o( cut-oJf,. whi('h we/'t. (orm('r1y \.!.r.... dt'strlleth-e o( borclf'ring propf'r-
<br />tit'S and ('rops. Prilllarih' to impro\'e tlu'low watt:r JIows. Cor n:l\'il-'8-
<br />tiOIl, Lha l'nili'tl Slatl's )18S1 eOllsttll('tfti Fort PI'l'k Hl-'~wr\'oir, with
<br />stOf8g'e f'lIpacity oC 19.500,000 ll('rl'-fl,;.t, on the :\Ii~uri Hinr in
<br />1\10Iltl111a. HI'c('otly a power plllnt with 35,000 kilowatt Cll\lllcitv to
<br />genf'rnte powC'r (or iITi~8tion pllmpllge and olllf'r purpOS(';.o las f)t'f'n
<br />p]s{'('d in opl'rlltioll at Fort I\'ek Dnm. By storing: flood watt.no thiil
<br />rMf'f"oir a],.,o product'S Illrge H()()(I-eontrol bl'lwlits.
<br />4. T.....o t~'IIes oC St"-Cl'{> geo('rnl floods, known as '\fnr('h and June
<br />floods from the months in which Ule.,- usulllly Ol'ellr, are chn.t'.lc(('ristie
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