Army Corps of Engineer officials plan to come to Missouri next week to discuss with the public their proposed operating plan for managing the Missouri River. Officials have promised there will not be a spring rise on the Missouri River this coming year because of the drought in parts of the basin. Randy Asbury is the Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River, a group representing agricultural, business, and barge interest on the river. He says he does not believe Corps officials will go back on their word to not create a spring rise, even if the drought ends in the Missouri River basin.But, Asbury says despite low summer flows not being in the draft proposal for next year’s annual operating plan of the river, he is concerned about how low the river might be in the coming summer, just as it was the the summer past. Corps officials plan to hold three days of public hearings regarding the draft annual operating plan with the last one held October 17th in Jefferson City.
