I grew up around Gavins Point Dam stretching across the boundary of Nebraska and South Dakota. Severe flooding on the upper Missouri may be a rare event, but harsh criticism of the the US ARMY corp of engineers isn't. For decades, stakeholders up and down the river have waged a fierce struggle over how the corps has managed water releases from the great 6 Missouri River reservoirs -- struggles triggered equally by periods of low water as this year's high water.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Sunday June 26, 2011 - MISSOURI RIVER 2011 FLOODING UPDATE

Reuters | Floodwaters surround Ft. Calhoon nuke plant after breach due to tear in inflatable berm

WASHINGTON | Sun Jun 26, 2011 6:03pm EDT

(Reuters) - A tear on Sunday in a temporary berm allowed Missouri River flood waters to surround containment buildings and other vital areas of a Nebraska nuclear plant, but reactor systems were not affected.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said the breach in the 2,000-foot inflatable berm around the Fort Calhoun station occurred around 1:25 a.m. local time.

More than 2 feet of water rushed in around containment buildings and electrical transformers at the 478-megawatt facility located 20 miles north of Omaha.

Reactor shutdown cooling and spent-fuel pool cooling were unaffected, the NRC said.

The plant, operated by the Omaha Public Power District, has been off line since April for refueling.

Crews activated emergency diesel generators after the breach, but restored normal electrical power by Sunday afternoon, the NRC said.

Buildings at the Fort Calhoun plant are watertight, the agency said. It noted that the cause of the berm breach is under investigation.

NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko and other officials planned to visit the site on Monday.

Jaczko will also visit the Cooper Nuclear Station near Brownville, Nebraska, another facility that has been watched closely with Missouri River waters rising from heavy rains and snow melt.

But water levels in that area 80 miles south of Omaha are receding, relieving worries that water will rise around the Brownville plant.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/26/us-usa-nuclear-plant-idUSTRE75P21X20110626

RELATED:

Residents shrug off risk...



Sioux City Journal

Video: Minot ND Flood 2011



Video: Flooding on the Missouri 6-23-2011 from Bismarck, North Dakota to the Garrison Dam



Aerial video of the Missouri River flood taken June 24, 2011
NC News Press - Nebraska City, Nebraska
Near Brownville's Cooper Nuclear Plant




Raw footage taken from an airplane on June 23rd, 2011 of the Gavins Point Dam, Yankton SD, Dakota Dunes region of the Missouri River.
Dam footage begins at 5:20, And this is 160,000 cubic feet/sec




EMERGENCY NOW DECLARED FOR 4 NORTHEAST KANSAS COUNTIES DUE TO RISING MISSOURI RIVER

Posted on Fri, Jun. 24, 2011 05:10 PM

Gov. Sam Brownback has proclaimed a state of disaster emergency for four northeast Kansas counties threatened by the rising Missouri River.

Friday's declaration applies to Doniphan, Atchison, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties.

The governor says the proclamation activates the disaster response and recovery portions of the state's overall response plan. That allows state agencies, such as the High Patrol and transportation department, to help county and local governments.

Only scattered flooding has occurred so far on the Kansas side of the Missouri River, but Brownback says residents should prepare to move quickly if evacuations are needed.



Another river levee fails in northwest Missouri near Cooper Nuclear Plant



ROCK PORT, Mo. (AP)

Friday, June 24, 2011

Another Missouri River levee has failed in northwest Missouri, prompting evacuations in a mostly rural area of the state.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning Thursday night after a levee about three miles north of Brownville, Neb. failed.

The extent of the damage to the levee wasn't immediately clear. Atchison County officials ordered anyone living in the area between Interstate 29 and the river in the county to evacuate.

The area near the latest failed levee is mostly rural, but the weather service said the flooding could affect Phelps City, Watson and Langdon, Mo.

At least two other levees in northwest Missouri failed this month, and others have been overrun by floodwater. Officials predict the river will remain overfull into August, so more levee problems are likely.



Nebraska Cooper nuclear plant gets relief from upstream levee breach in NW Missouri



Flood stories from the Sioux City Journal
FROM DRUDGE REPORT:

Drilling For Water Removal At Omaha's Eppley Airfield
Eight sink wells installed for pumps to remove floodwater



REAL TIME RADIATION NETWORK

(The following is only a picture of the website - a link)

http://radiationnetwork.com/

ALERT LEVEL = 100 CPM
CPM = Counts Per Minute

From Radiation Network: The numbers represent radiation Counts per Minute, abbreviated CPM, and under normal conditions, quantify the level of background radiation, i.e. environmental radiation from outer space as well as from the earth's crust and air. Depending on your location, your elevation or altitude, and your model of Geiger counter, this background radiation level might average anywhere from 5 to 60 CPM, and while background radiation levels are random, it would be unusual for those levels to exceed 100 CPM. Thus, the "Alert Level" for the National Radiation Map is 100 CPM, so if you see any Monitoring Stations with CPM value above 100, further indicated by an Alert symbol over those stations, it probably means that some radioactive source above and beyond background radiation is responsible.



NOAA Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service


BLAIR, NEBRASKA NEAR FT. CALHOUN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT


BROWNVILLE, NE - NEAR COOPER NUCLEAR PLANT


RESERVOIR CONTROL CENTER REPORTS

The following is the latest Reservoir Readings on the Upper Missouri River - Sunday June 26, 2011. This report is updated daily. Click on the picture for today's readings in reference to Gavins Point Dam, Ft. Randall Dam in SD, Big Bend Dam in SD, Oahe Dam in SD, Garrison Dam in ND and Fort Peck in Mt:
Link to daily report:
http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/reports/showrep.cgi?3MRDTAP7

Sunday June 26, 2011


US ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS NEWS RELEASE

July 7, 2011 is scheduled for diversion through regulating tunnels to allow for routine inspection of spillway slabs at Ft. Randall Dam (dam upstream from Gavins Point)

Pickstown, S.D. —The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites the public to witness the diversion of surplus water out of Fort Randall Dam through the dam’s four regulating tunnels July 7, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

“This is only the second time in history that such a high volume of water will be released through the regulating tunnels,” said Tom Curran, Fort Randall Dam operations manager.

The opening of the regulating tunnels will equate to a flow of approximately 120,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) through these 22-foot diameter pipes. The water will be diverted to allow for routine inspection of the spillway slab at the dam. The spillway slab is 40 acres of concrete with a thickness of 2 – 6 feet, used to carry water downstream and away from the spillway gates.

Members of the public are invited to witness this event and will be allowed special access to a viewing platform immediately adjacent to the outlet area. Cameras will be permitted.

http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/pa/pahm/NewsReleases11/Public invited to witness historic event at Fort Randall Dam.pdf


Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSI) impacted by flooding Missouri River


BNSF Weather Interruptions

June 24, 2011 - BNSF's Command Center is managing our responses to flood impacts. BNSF is making an extraordinary effort to continue operating on key mainline routes.

  • KO subdivision – Both main tracks in Minot, North Dakota are out of service due to record flooding on the Souris River. In a proactive effort to minimize delays, BNSF began rerouting trains prior to the track outage.
  • Creston subdivision – BNSF raised the height of four miles of track up to five feet between Pacific Jct., Iowa and Oreapolis, Nebraska, raised the track on three bridges, built levees along both sides of the track and armored portions of the roadbed with rip rap (boulder-size rock.)
  • The St. Joseph subdivision - BNSF also raised 3.4 miles of track up to 20 inches near Rulo, Nebraska but the subdivision is now is out of service due to flooding near Rulo as a result of a levee break.
  • The River subdivision is out of service south of St. Louis, Missouri due to flooding.
  • The Napier subdivision is out of service between Napier, Missouri and Pacific Jct., Iowa after a levee break near Hamburg, Iowa.
  • The Omaha subdivision is out of service from milepost 13 in Omaha south to milepost 7 as a result of flood levees erected over the track to protect the City of Omaha. The subdivision is still open from Lincoln to Omaha via Ashland, Nebraska.
  • The Choteau subdivision is out of service west of Power, Montana.
  • The Big Sandy subdivision is out of service south of Pacific Jct., Montana.
  • The Fort Benton subdivision is out of service northeast of Great Falls, Montana.
  • The Lewistown subdivision is out of service east of Sipple, Montana due to a washout.
  • The Grenora subdivision is out of service north of Stanley, North Dakota.
  • The Westhope sub is out of service north of Rugby, North Dakota.

http://www.bnsf.com/customers/weather-interruptions/


Video of Approach over flooded Missouri River to Omaha's Eppley Airfield






*Cave Editor's Note:
Last update time 9:15 am CDT Sunday, June 26, 2011
Last update time 9:45 am CDT Sunday, June 26, 2011
Last update time 12:45 pm CDT Sunday, June 26, 2011
Last update time 5:00 pm CDT Sunday, June 26, 2011


Posted by Cave Editor at 8:03 PM

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