[FairWitness]

Ultimately, the river will win any battle. It will exist long after we are gone.

It may not run in exactly the same riverbed as now, but it will be there. There is a shopping center west of St. Louis on Hwy 40 (I think named Boone's Crossing) which was something like 20 feet under water during the last big flood. Nevertheless, it was rebuilt and is still growing - a testament to human irrational optimism. I think some measure of flood control must be good, but don't know enough to say how much. Letting the river be more "natural" will inevitably mean periodic flooding of some farms and businesses. If someone is willing to insure them (other than the Federal Gov., which should not do so) that is their problem.

[Cleburne]

I am of the opinion that living on the floodplain of a living river (which they are: a river is not a static thing at all) is a foolish and harmful thing (mainly to yourself!). Now, I do not think the government should force people off of floodplains, no, but I do not think the government should provide insuarance for people who recklessly build in these locations, and I think channelization and flood control should be kept at a minimum.

[AdA$tra]

My Brother-in-law is a State Rep. from St. Charles. We visited them regularly in '93. It was amazing where the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers were then. He was a City Councilman just after that and was instumental in getting some of the idiots to relocate out of harms way. We went out on some of the farm levees in the area. Kind of spooky when they go squish when you walk on them with the river raging a few feet away.