The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, has completed the initial breach repair along the right bank of the Platte River, just upstream of the confluence of the Platte River with the Missouri River, on Tuesday.
This approximately 300-foot long breach formed during the March 2019 flooding and allowed water to flow out of the Platte River channel and establish a new channel to the Missouri River.
This initial closure will redirect water back into the Platte River and allow for further repairs to be made at this location.
According to the Corps, keeping this flow within the Platte River is critical to maintaining an efficient Platte River and Missouri River system that can sustain a navigation channel.
They also added that repair efforts will now focus on reconstructing the river bank to match its pre-flood conditions. Large rock will also be placed at this location to help mitigate impacts of any future high water events.
“ While the team remains focused on repairing the levee systems damaged by the 2019 flooding, projects such as this one are also critical components to fully restoring the Missouri River System. Having this initial closure complete will allow the team to fully repair the damaged river bank and stop flows from impacting infrastructure in this area ,” said Corina Zhang, USACE Resident Engineer for the Platte River Bank Repair Project .