KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Living with dams is a shared responsibility and requires constant assessment, continuous communication and engagement with local public and emergency management agencies. The Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, operates and manages 18 dams in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. Flood control serves as the primary purpose of these dams. Corps reservoirs provide many other benefits including recreation activities.
Memorial Day denotes the unofficial start to summer. As you approach Memorial Day, please remember the people who died serving our country and protecting our freedom.
Whether you are boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, biking, camping, or just enjoying the view, please make sure your activities are safe and you have proper safety equipment. Be prepared! Life jacket worn . . . nobody mourns!
On May 31st, the Corps will observe National Dam Safety Awareness Day to commemorate the failure of the South Fork Dam in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on May 31, 1889 that killed more than 2,200 people marking the worst dam failure in U.S. history.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains over 700 dams. Dam safety and life safety are paramount to us. The Kansas City District regularly assesses the conditions of its dams to ensure they will function as designed during a flood event.
During the recent flooding events experienced in Missouri, the Harry S. Truman Dam held back a volume of water equivalent to the Lake of the Ozarks to help ensure Bagnell Dam could release runoff quickly and safely. Harry S. Truman is now releasing the stored runoff to get the pool back down to normal as quickly as reasonable.
To learn more about National Dam Safety Awareness Day, please visit http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Dam-Safety-Program/.
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