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Corps of Engineers says reservoirs reduced peak flows but system was overwhelmed; multiple levees need inspection and repairs
Summary
Little Rock District officers told lawmakers reservoir releases and safety considerations forced high downstream flows; Corps reported 98 levees in the state database (60 minimally acceptable, 38 unacceptable) and said several levees are eligible for federal repair funding though construction timing depends on national funding and congressional action.
Corps of Engineers officials told a joint legislative hearing that the May–June rain event across upstream reservoirs in Oklahoma and Kansas exceeded the system's flood storage capacity and required releases to avoid dam overtopping.
"The system did what it could do," said Craig Pierce, deputy district engineer for the Corps' Little Rock District, describing a confluence of heavy rainfall and reservoir fills. Corps testimony explained the operational goal during the event was to…
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