<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617990843383.jpeg" alt="Rebuilding L-536 in northwest Missouri./Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers" />
 <figcaption>Rebuilding L-536 in northwest Missouri./Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha commander says the
Corps took a different approach to rebuilding a major levee breached by
Missouri River floodwaters in 2019, an approach which could prove to be a model
for future projects.Colonel Mark Himes says the Corps listened when local
officials and residents suggested not rebuilding the levee near Corning as it
was before the 2019 flood, but moving it a bit.“We created a very large setback, which created more space,
more conveyance for the river to flow, particularly at flood stages,” Himes
tells St. Joseph Post.Federal regulations prevent the Corps from improving flood-damaged
levees, allowing the Corps only to restore levees to pre-flood conditions.Himes says the Corps used a bit of creativity when rebuilding
Levee 536, located near the Holt-Atchison County line.“But in this case, we were actually able to use a lower cost
alternative which is what the setback allowed us to do,” according to Himes. “So,
it’s essentially the same levee built back at a lower cost, which is why we
were able to do that under the public law 84-99 program.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617990915038.jpeg" alt="Before reconstruction could begin, the breach on L-536 had to be closed./Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers" />
 <figcaption>Before reconstruction could begin, the breach on L-536 had to be closed./Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers</figcaption>
 </figure>The Corps used other innovations.A reimbursable contract allowed the contractor to begin work
immediately. Dredge from the Missouri River was used as material in the
rebuild, which the Corps estimates saved millions of dollars. Work continued throughout
the winter, pausing only briefly during the bitterly cold spell in February.It is that setback, moving the levee farther away from the
Missouri River channel that the Corps hopes will keep floodwaters from
breaching the levee again.“The levee is structurally the same. So, it’s built with the resiliency
to stand up to a flood such as 2019,” Himes says. “The difference is the
setback, right, giving more room for the river to flow through that particular section.”It is hoped that when the Missouri River floods again, and it
will flood again, that floodwaters will pool in the setback, taking pressure
off the levee.Himes has heard Gov. Mike Parson say the L-536 project can be
used as a model.“I think it’s a model in the sense of the teamwork, the
collaboration, the ability to think outside the box and try different things,”
Himes says. “I think that is certainly a model that we and other agencies are
looking to replicate.”The 2019 flood destroyed the Missouri River levee system, flooding
millions of acres of farmland, destroying homes and businesses all along the
river. When the L-536 failed, tens of thousands of acres of northwest Missouri
farmland went under water.The Omaha district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has
jurisdiction down to Atchison County in Missouri.<div><iframe width='500' height='300' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' style='border: none; overflow: hidden; width: 500px; height: 300px;' allowtransparency='true' src='https://www.dvidshub.net/video/embed/676237'></iframe>
</div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617990986819.jpeg" alt="An aerial view of the L-536 breach as late as September of 2019./Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers" />
 <figcaption>An aerial view of the L-536 breach as late as September of 2019./Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers</figcaption>
 </figure>

Rebuild of NW MO levee could be model for other rebuilds