71st SWCS International Annual Conference July 24-27, 2016 Louisville, KY

1. Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway:
The Story Behind the Decision
Charles Camillo
Historian/Executive Director
Mississippi River Commission

2. BUILDING STRONG®
MRL
Confluence
Area
2
Set-Back
Levee
Upper
Fuseplug

3. BUILDING STRONG®
Operating
Birds Point-
New Madrid
Floodway

4. BUILDING STRONG®
30-Day Rainfall Totals
(April 5-May 5, 2011)
4

5. BUILDING STRONG®
Plan of Operations-Based on Cairo Gage
Prepare Inflow &
Load pipes (59’)
Inflow crevasse ready by 60’
Depart Memphis Harbor by 56’
Load barges at
Memphis Harbor
Personnel and equipment
on “alert”
61
60
59
58
57
56
55
54
53
52
62
63
66
65
Setback Levee (65.5')
Cairo Floodwall and
Commerce Birds Point
Levee (65.3’)
Must Operate by 61’
April 21 49.0 -- 52.0
April 22 49.8 +0.8 52.0
April 23 51.0 +1.2 52.0
April 24 52.5 +1.5 58.5
April 25 54.5 +2.0 60.0
April 26 56.5 +2.0 61.0
April 27 57.9 +1.4 60.5
April 28 58.7 +0.8 60.5
April 29 59.0 +0.3 60.5
April 30 59.1 +0.1 60.5
Date Cairo Change Forecast
Gage Crest

6. BUILDING STRONG®
Reservoir Status
6

7. BUILDING STRONG®
Plan of Operations-Based on Cairo Gage
Prepare Inflow &
Load pipes (59’)
Inflow crevasse ready by 60’
Depart Memphis Harbor by 56’
Load barges at
Memphis Harbor
Personnel and equipment
on “alert”
61
60
59
58
57
56
55
54
53
52
62
63
66
65Cairo Floodwall and
Commerce Birds Point
Levee (65.3’)
Must Operate by 61’
April 21 49.0 -- 52.0
April 22 49.8 +0.8 52.0
April 23 51.0 +1.2 52.0
April 24 52.5 +1.5 58.5
April 25 54.5 +2.0 60.0
April 26 56.5 +2.0 61.0
April 27 57.9 +1.4 60.5
April 28 58.7 +0.8 60.5
April 29 59.0 +0.3 60.5
April 30 59.1 +0.1 60.5
Date Cairo Change Forecast
Gage Crest

8. BUILDING STRONG®
Plan of Operations-Based on Cairo Gage
H-21 Prepare Inflow &
Load pipes (59’)
H-3 Inflow crevasse ready by 60’
61
60
59
58
57
56
55
54
53
52
62
63
66
65Cairo Floodwall and
Commerce Birds Point
Levee (65.3’)
H-0 Must Operate by 61’
May 1
0600 59.7 60.5
1030 Reichling asks to move to H-3
1500 59.9 61.8
1530 Walsh approves H-3
1400 60.0 61.8
1730 Ops halted
May 2
0400 60.7 63.5
1500 61.3 63.0
2200 61.7 63.0
Date Cairo Gage Forecast Crest

9. BUILDING STRONG®
322.5
324.5
326.5
328.5
330.5
332.5
334.5
52.0
54.0
56.0
58.0
60.0
62.0
64.0
4/15/11 4/20/11 4/25/11 4/30/11 5/5/11 5/10/11 5/15/11 5/20/11 5/25/11
ELEVATION(FT)
CAIROGAGE(FT)
2011 Floodfight - Cairo Area
Gage Zero = 270.5 ft.
Actual Ohio River Level Projected Before Floodway Activated
2011 ‐ 61.7 ft.
1937 ‐ 59.5 ft.
1997 ‐ 56.2 ft.
1973 ‐ 55.7 ft.
Project Design Flood
9

10. BUILDING STRONG®
1927 Flood (pre MR&T)
vs
2011 Flood (with MR&T)
 1927: 26,000 square miles flooded.
 2011: 9,900 square miles flooded, per
system design.
 Over 16,000 square miles not flooded
in 2011 because of system.
 New stages and flood records set in
2011 over much of lower Mississippi
River basin.
 Operated 3 of 4 system floodways and
0 of 4 backwater areas in 2011.
 Mississippi River & tributaries system
passed 80-85% of the project design
flood in 2011, while system is 89%
complete.

11. BUILDING STRONG®
Federal levees; floodways and
backwater areas; revetment;
dredging; river training dikes;
reservoirs
MR&T Project

12. BUILDING STRONG®

13. BUILDING STRONG®
Project Design Flood

14. BUILDING STRONG®
Plan of Operations-Based on Cairo Gage
Arrive at Floodway; Load embedded
pipes (forecast 60.5’ and rising)
Inflow crevasse ready for operation by
60
Depart Memphis Harbor (projected rise)
Load barges at Memphis Harbor
Personnel and equipment on “alert”
61
60
59
58
57
56
55
54
53
52
62
63
66
65
Comparative Heights
of Flood Control Works
PDF with Floodway (62.5')
Frontline Levee (62.5')
Setback Levee (65.5')
Cairo Floodwall and
Commerce Birds Point
Levee (65.3’)
Fuseplugs on Frontline
Levee (60.5’)
Passive Activation
Must Operate by 61’
Trigger Points and
Operation Times