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Sierra Club Lawsuits

Defending Aquatic Ecosystems along the Wide Missouri

Case Updates:

January 1, 2004

The Sierra Club brought the Army Corps of Engineers to federal court in late November 2003, contending the Corps failed to determine the damage that would be caused by a huge, new Missouri River levee. The ill-conceived levee at Jefferson City would eliminate wildlife habitat, ruin wetlands and encourage construction in what is now an undeveloped flood plain. The levee would lead to higher flood levels in the St. Louis area and at other points along the 735 miles of the lower Missouri River. The wetlands in the project area are an important remnant of what was once a vast aquatic ecosystem. The natural wetlands in the project area constitute a productive and valuable public resource. Primarily because of their seasonal inundation by flooding river waters, they fulfill significant biological functions such as providing feeding, nesting, spawning, rearing and resting sites for aquatic and land species, along with a hospitable environment for many aquatic plants. The anticipated flood protection provided by the project is likely to give rise to pressures for the development of this land, a phenomenon which has been observed in many other river bank areas following levee construction.

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