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Corps of Engineers says reservoirs reduced peak flows but system was overwhelmed; multiple levees need inspection and repairs
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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 minimize the peak flow at Van Buren; when upstream reservoirs reached surcharge conditions, releases became necessary for dam safety.
The Corps said its database lists 98 levees in Arkansas; of those 60 are in minimally acceptable condition and 38 are in unacceptable condition. Inspectors have already received 17 formal requests from levee sponsors to inspect damage; preliminary Corps estimates identified roughly $7.6 million in repair costs for six levees that are likely to meet benefit‑cost thresholds for federal work. Corps staff described the federal repair program as cost‑shared and noted that local sponsors typically must provide land, access and some real‑estate or material costs even when federal construction cost shares apply.
On funding and timing, Corps officials said repair design and construction depend on available supplemental appropriations and on national demand for Corps emergency relief dollars; some supplemental funding already exists but competing nationwide needs affect Arkansas' place in the queue. Officials committed to expedite engineering reports and to work with the state task force to rank priorities and submit projects for funding.
The Corps also committed to technical assistance for levee sponsors and said raising a community's level of protection is possible with coordinated planning and plan reviews — but that changes to protection levels require meeting Corps standards and potentially cost sharing by the local sponsor.
