By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Opponents of a planned spring rise on the Missouri River are thankful for a brief delay.
The Army Corps of Engineers announced Monday that while there is enough water in upstream reservoirs for an artificial pulse, recent rains are prompting it to wait.
The Corps now plans to increase flows sometime between May 6 and May 19. However, the state of Missouri is seeking an injunction to stop that plan.
Supporter Randy Asbury directs the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River:
"We are pleased that there is a delay for no other reason than it will give the judge an opportunity to review this and hopefully arrive at a decision that would be beneficial to the lower basin stakeholders," Asbury said.
Asbury says the plan could start a trend of annual flooding.
A Corps spokesman says if it does go ahead with the rise, even more water will have to be stored in the reservoirs to do it again next spring.