ROCK PORT, Mo. (KMTV) — After devastating floods hit the Missouri River in 2019, it left millions of dollars in damage to businesses, homes and farmland.
Near Rock Port, Missouri, both local landowners and Atchison County Levee District No. 1 came to a consensus: repairing the levee would not be enough. Instead, a new project needed to be developed. They would set the levee farther back from the river.
"Our levees are 70 years old, they've experienced 5 or 6 high-water events in their life span, just like anything with engineering, they get fatigued and get worn out, this levee is good to get rebuilt, we gave it some more space from the river," said Construction Lead TJ Davey.
Regan Griffin is with the Atchison County Levee District. He is confident that a different approach will add some much-needed safekeeping.
"In the past it's always been, hey, let's put the levee back as much as we can, but we've started to look at other options," Griffin said. "If it's a realignment or different options like that."
Eighty percent of the levee's workforce are locals who are hopeful for it to stand firm and fast for the future.
"I think it's a tremendous amount of pride in being able to bring back a level of protection to their property and to their community," Davey said.
The levee is expected to be completed by late summer.
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