The Governor and Attorney General’s cries in opposition to the "spring rise" have been heard by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at least partially. The Corps began the spring rise release at midnight on Tuesday night as planned, but has decided to limit the water release to the Missouri River sections north of the Kansas City area. Attorney General Jay Nixon says he’s pleased with the change.
"They clearly understood that the courts came extremely close to, for the first time, enjoining them from their action," says Nixon, "and the bottom line is that while we don’t believe a spring rise is right in any occasion, this year is especially galling when you have, literally, thousands of Missourians sandbagging what’s being release by the Corps. So, we are glad that they have changed their positions."
Earlier in the week, Nixon went to court to request a temporary restraining order against the Corps, preventing the rise; he was denied that order. He immediately appealed his request, which was also denied. As planned, the Corps released water from dams in South Dakota for a few hours, but Nixon’s efforts eventually had an effect. Nixon’s hopes now turn to another restraint: the upcoming days of rain.
"We’re watching very carefully and we’re hoping that we don’t have significant flooding," says Nixon, "We’re hoping the rains that do come don’t cause the problems we’ve seen in Missouri over the last ten days; but, the bottom line is this is good news for Missouri and we are glad that the Corps has backed down."
