Friday, January 01, 2016
More rails, less locks.
Thinking about this week's flooding in Mo, which is falsely described as historic. It's actually rather typical.
Question: Why aren't there any flood control dams on the Mo River IN Mo? Upstream from KC, both the Kaw and the Mo and all tributaries have a highly effective set of flood control dams, also providing irrigation, recreation and some hydropower. Inside Mo, no dams.
The answer is one word. Barges. This beautifully written article by the Corps of Engineers explains everything. We decided to sacrifice the other benefits of river infrastructure so we could run barges up to KC. Thus we have frequent deadly floods in Iowa and Mo, but properly controlled floods in Neb, Kan and Okla.
Is this worth the cost? Couldn't we replace the Mo and Miss barge traffic with a new SUPERSIZED railroad system serving Omaha, KC, Wichita, Tulsa and St Louis, terminating at Galveston? Barges on big fat rails.
Then the Corps could finish the flood-control system, which it already knows how to do. Open the upper Miss, reroute the lower Miss into Atchafalaya where she's been trying to go since 1927. Build a couple of big hydro dams on the Mo, and smaller dams on tributaries.
Won't happen, of course. Midwest floods kill poor Christians, which means they are magnificently fulfilling the government's sole reason for existence. More floods = more pogroms with plausible deniability. It's not us, it's Evil KKKarbon.
Then the Corps could finish the flood-control system, which it already knows how to do. Open the upper Miss, reroute the lower Miss into Atchafalaya where she's been trying to go since 1927. Build a couple of big hydro dams on the Mo, and smaller dams on tributaries.
Won't happen, of course. Midwest floods kill poor Christians, which means they are magnificently fulfilling the government's sole reason for existence. More floods = more pogroms with plausible deniability. It's not us, it's Evil KKKarbon.Labels: Asked and answered
¶ 5:43 PM
