The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a nearly $250,000 contract to close a breach in the levee along the Missouri River southwest of Bartlett, in Mills County Iowa.
The Corps awarded the contract to Diamond Group Engineering of Santa Ana, California. The breach closure is a temporary measure until the levee system can be fully repaired. Repairs are scheduled to be completed by June 1.
The Omaha District continues to perform levee assessments as waters subside, and planning is still underway to repair the 50 breaches caused by the March flooding. Final repairs will be made to the same level of flood risk reduction authorized by Congress, in place prior to March.
“Elevated risk remains until the federal levee system is fully repaired”, said Matthew Krajewski, Readiness Branch Chief. “Please continue to exercise extreme caution. Stay in close contact with your local emergency management agency for more information.”
There are more than 500 miles of levees on the Missouri, Platte and Elkhorn rivers, and tributaries that have experienced significant flood damage. Due to the magnitude of damage along these levees, repair of the levee system efforts will take an extended period of time to execute.