ST. LOUIS –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District closed its Emergency Operations Center May 9 in response to receding water.
The EOC was activated for 21 days to assist response activities and provide supplies and technical expertise to communities during high water on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.
The St. Louis District also fielded flood fight teams to help reduce risks and to prevent as much threat to public safety and property as possible. During this high water event, the St. Louis District distributed 610,000 bags, 529 rolls of plastic sheeting, and 4,000 feet of Hesco barriers to protect areas adjacent to the Mississippi, Illinois, Missouri, and Kaskaskia Rivers.
The Corps is supporting recovery efforts in the aftermath of the flooding, including damage assessment and processing requests for federal assistance for levee repairs through the Rehabilitation and Inspection Program.
Locks 24 and 25 on the Mississippi River and Kaskaskia Lock and Dam on the Kaskaskia River in Illinois were closed during the flood event. All locks are operating currently. Commercial and recreational navigation are fully restored, though some portions of the Illinois River are under wake restrictions.
The locks and dams on the Mississippi River and other rivers of the Inland Waterway System are purely navigation structures, designed to maintain the Congressionally-mandated nine-foot navigation channel.
Release no. 13-044