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  • May

    To help share the importance of water safety, we rely on the public, our water safety rangers and our partners to assist in getting the word out. This year we will attend several events conducting water safety outreach across four states.

    Engaging with communities at water safety events

    To help share the importance of water safety, we rely on the public, our water safety rangers and our partners to assist in getting the word out. This year we will attend several events conducting water safety outreach across four states. “The Kansas City District is constantly seeking opportunities to connect with and educate the general public on
  • Sericea lespedeza is an extremely aggressive invasive plant that spreads rapidly in fields and takes over native species such as warm season grasses and pasture hay. To help control sericea lespedeza, fields can be sprayed with herbicide or seasonal controlled burns are conducted to clear out the invasion.

    The fight against invasive species and how you can help

    Invasive species can be an animal, plant or fungus. Typically, it’s a species that has been brought into a new environment and believed to cause damage to the environment, human economy or human health. With 18 lakes in four states and Mitigation Project lands along the Missouri River, the Kansas City District has identified several species in
  • Truman Lake is the largest flood control reservoir in Missouri, with a storage capacity of more than 5 million acre-feet - an acre-foot equals 325,000 gallons. At normal pool, the Lake has a surface area of about 55,600 acres – this surface area can grow to over 200,000 acres at the top of the flood control pool. During periods of flooding, Truman Lake, operating in conjunction with other reservoirs, helps protect the lower Osage, Missouri and Mississippi River floodplains.

    Truman Lake provides many opportunities to central Missouri

    The staff at Harry S. Truman Dam and Lake work together to manage the project in accordance with the authorized purposes: primarily flood control; and secondarily hydroelectric power generation, fish and wildlife management, and recreation. Truman Lake is the largest flood control reservoir in Missouri, with a storage capacity of more than 5
  • As we recognize May as National Water Safety Month, it’s important to understand water safety is truly a year-round concern.

    Recognizing the importance of water safety

    As we recognize May as National Water Safety Month, it’s important to understand water safety is truly a year-round concern. The Kansas City District urges recreation seekers to follow safety tips while enjoying water-based activities, especially during the summer months as larger crowds are anticipated at the district’s 18 lakes throughout

  • March

    An unidentified volunteer fills sandbags using a gravity fed machine during levee safety training conducted in North Kansas City, Mo., May 24, 2017.

    Collaborative relationships critical to levee safety

    Important to communities because of the benefits they provide, levee systems are part of our nation’s landscape. For example, more than ten million people live or work behind levees in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Levee Safety Program. Located behind these levees nationwide are more than one trillion dollars of public and private property. In the Kansas City District, Geoffrey Henggeler serves as our levee safety program manager. “Levee safety is a shared responsibility. No single entity has all of the tools or resources to deal with levee and flood risk management issues. It takes a team effort between the levee owner, the Corps of Engineers and other stakeholders, including emergency management officials, local community leaders, and other local, state and federal agencies,” said Henggeler.

  • February

    The St. Joseph Levee Project Delivery Team members made a site visit to the Brown's Branch Gatewell Structure Construction site June 29, 2018 in St. Joseph, Mo.

    St. Joseph levee improvement project enters new phase

    Construction is closing on the first construction contract award for the gatewell structure at Station 325+01 on the right bank – the west bank – with the second construction contract commencing for the Brown’s Branch gatewell structure on the left bank. 2018 will be a very busy year for design and kicking off of multiple construction contracts supporting levee improvements in the St. Joseph, Mo., area.
  • Sponsors may request flood fight training at any time. The request must be in writing and the public sponsor must agree to provide a facility that can accommodate 30-40 personnel for classroom training and an outside location that be used to demonstrate sandbag filling and placement techniques.

    Flood Preparation and Flood Preparedness

    Flood preparedness is always a top priority for the Kansas City District, because the frequency and scale of flooding are very hard to predict we try to follow a consistent process from year to year. We will begin updating our internal flood fight teams early this year. Personnel turnover somewhat drives the type and scale of training that we provide internally. Another key consideration for training and exercises is the frequency of flood response by the District. The District noted no appreciable flooding for the period from 1998 to 2007. As a result, we were more reliant on training and exercises to ensure preparedness of District personnel.
  • Silver Jackets - Many Agencies, One Solution

    Silver Jackets working to communicate risks

    “We’re connecting the dots. I love being part of a team which brings people together and contributes little parts to make a whole project,” said Brian Rast, Kansas City District Lead Silver Jackets Coordinator for Kansas and Missouri. Through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources, program funding is provided to Corps of Engineers districts enabling them to partner with agencies in reducing risks from natural hazards. This program is called Silver Jackets.
  • While several sections of the Kansas City District paly a role in the navigation mission on the Missouri River, the Missouri River Area Office and River Engineering Section inspect and prioritize repairs to river structures.

    Navigating and maintaining the river

    Navigation is one of the eight authorized purposes of the Missouri River that mandates the Corps of Engineers to manage the navigation channel between Sioux City, Iowa and St. Louis, Missouri. The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1945 calls for a 9-foot deep and minimum 300-foot wide channel. Today, the focus of the Corps of Engineers navigation mission is to provide safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation system for movement of commerce, national security needs and recreation. In order to meet this mission, the Corps focuses on repairs to river structures from damage such as ice, debris, scouring and high water velocity.
  • Truman Lake releases 12K cubic feet per second through the two power generation units and an additional 38K cfs through the tainter gates (pictured). We are coordinating with Ameren to maintain target levels in the Osage River. These releases are needed to get the lake back to a state where it can receive more water from the next rain events.

    Water Management: An overview of Osage River Basin operations and rainfall events at Harry S. Truman Reservoir

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Runoff in the Missouri River basin was slightly above average in 2017. Increased releases through the fall has allowed the reservoirs to have all flood storage capability ready for the beginning of the 2018 runoff season. Water management teams help guide the decision making process that prepares our system to handle the unexpected. The coordination through the Northwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in setting releases and storage at the main stem dams in the northern portion of the basin, sets the conditions for our reservoir system on the tributaries that feed into the Missouri River.