Stakeholders, customers and elected officials were guests of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, for the annual Missouri River tour August 22.
The purpose of the trip aboard the district’s barge is to provide a first-hand look at the Civil Works projects the district builds and maintains along the Missouri River and to exchange questions and comments with stakeholders.
The barge tour traveled from Jefferson City, Mo., downriver for twelve miles and back, allowing guests to see the capitol and riverfront of Jefferson City, levees, a water intake and tower and navigation elements.
Col. Doug Guttormsen, the Kansas City District commander , commented, “ We now have a National Registry of Levees and big money has been spent by local, state and federal governments to shore up and improve our levees. ”
Guttormsen also discussed making better risk-informed decisions due to the Levee Safety Program and the enhanced inspections and ongoing collection of critical information to make decisions grounded in current realities and pledged to work with all of the district’s stakeholder on those decisions.
He highlighted the “ recent $453 million in federal supplemental funding to complete the Kansas City Levee project and also past and current efforts reinforce our commitment to getting good projects started and completed .”
About 50 guests attended the river tour this year. Jennifer Wood, the district levee safety program manager, spoke on levee safety risk communication. John Grothaus, a district planning project officer, discussed the implications of the Lower Missouri River Study.