Branstad wants to review Missouri River management efforts

JOHNSTON – Gov. Terry Branstad said Friday he has concerns about the water management policies of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in controlling Missouri River flow but added that any future review should wait until after this year's flood fight is concluded.

“I think after it's all over, we'll want to do a review of this and determine what could have been done different. Right now I think we all need to work together,” the Iowa governor said during Friday's taping of Iowa Public Television's “Iowa Press” show.

“When we're in the midst of this flood fight, we all need to work together, not spend time pointing fingers at each other, but say how can we do this better and how can we protect the property as best we can,” Branstad said. “There will be plenty of opportunity after the fact to assess what can we do going forward better to manage and control this whole Missouri River basin.”

Branstad praised the efforts of communities along the Iowa side of the Missouri River to prepare for significant flooding problems that could hang on for a protracted period of time. He plans to visit Council Bluffs this afternoon to discuss flood prevention and mitigation efforts in southwest Iowa.

Branstad said he has had concerns “for a long time,” back during the 16 years that he was governor from 1983 to 1999, over the way the Corps manages the outflow of water and river levels for downstream states when problems form in Montana and the Dakotas. He said he has communicated that concern to other governors in the past.

“Could there be better management? I have felt for a long time that the downstream states have not been adequately protected in the flood mitigation work of the Corps of Engineers. That's something that we'll certainly want to talk with them about down the road,” Branstad said.

“I guess the question really comes on the release of water – could they have released it sooner, maybe not released as much as they are right now – questions like that,” he added. “But those are all questions, right now it is their responsibility, they are managing it, we are cooperating and working with them but in the long term I want to make sure that there is adequate preparation that goes into it,” he added.

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