The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has declared an official end to the 2011 Missouri River flood. But the fight isn’t over.

“While the corps did an outstanding job helping citizens fight the flood and protect their homes and property, I am very disappointed in the actions of the corps as we move into the recovery and rehabilitation phase,” stated Tom Waters, Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association chairman. “The corps’ inaction and lack of focus on flood control will cause delays and ultimately cause some levees to never be repaired.”

Mr. Waters’ comment was part of his written testimony Tuesday to the U.S. Senate, Environment and Public Works Committee.

Due to limited resources, the corps will not be able to make repairs to every structure that sustained damage, said Col. Anthony Hofmann, Kansas City District commander.

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Decisions have already been made that affect St. Joseph and Elwood. The corps has identified its top five levees for repair in the Kansas City District, and the St. Joseph and Elwood Gladden levees didn’t make the cut.

The top five levees the corps identified for repairs in the Kansas City District are Union Township (Holt County), Bean Lake (Platte County), Rushville Sugar Lake (Buchanan County), Holt County No. 10 and Wakenda (Carroll County).

Right now, the top five are the only ones guaranteed for funding, said Josh Marx, natural disaster program manager. The goal is to get those five completed by March 15.

“I’ll bet they’re not fixed by March 15,” Mr. Waters told the News-Press. “I’ll bet a steak on it.” Mr. Waters said the corps’ process to rebuild a breached levee takes more than 200 days, requiring more than 170 steps for local sponsors to take. The process is composed of more paperwork than bulldozer work, Mr. Waters said.

Corps officials in Kansas City express hope that the St. Joseph and Elwood levees will get funding. But the reality is that since the 1993 flood, which breached the Elwood Gladden levee, those two levees still haven’t been repaired to the level the corps says is necessary. Corps officials in Kansas City and Omaha are saying they don’t have money to do additional work.

In the interim, the corps’ Missouri River basin teams await funding by Congress for additional repairs, which early estimates indicate will total approximately $1 billion. Mr. Waters said the problem is that corps officials in Washington are saying they don’t have any plans to go back to Congress and request more funds.

The public will have a chance to talk with officials from the corps’ regional offices at the Holiday Inn on the afternoon of Oct. 25, and at a public hearing at 7 p.m. that night.

Marshall White can be reached at marshall.white@newspressnow.com.