KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Due to ongoing challenging conditions with wet soils and higher than normal river levels across the Missouri River Basin, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District is canceling plans to increase water levels in reservoirs for the spring as stated in the annual water level management plans.
This temporary modification will better position the Kansas City District's reservoirs to receive spring runoff, and manage for locally heavy rainfall following record lake levels across the district last year. Nine of 18 district reservoirs reached record pools in 2019. Flood control operations at Kansas City District Reservoirs and Bureau of Reclamation lakes prevented $131 million in damages in Kansas and $2.27 billion in damages in Missouri during the 2019 flood event. Life safety and flood control are primary factors in reservoir operations throughout the Missouri River Basin.