St. Louis Post-Dispatch
This is an overview of part one of the Post-Dispatch series, A Flood of Development. Click the link to our special report for more details.
More than $2.2 billion worth of new development in the St. Louis area stands on land that was under water in the Great Flood of 1993.
The building boom has brought jobs, services and tax revenue to the region, but it could lead to a more costly disaster in the future.
RELATED LINKS:
Full series in our special report
Flood timeline, with links to archival photos and stories
<LI><A HREF="/stltoday/news/special/flood93.nsf/C4CCE258128EB3628625676F001EE75C#Graphics" CLASS="related">Graphics: How a levee works, riverfront development and more</A>
<LI><A HREF="/stltoday/news/special/flood93.nsf/C4CCE258128EB3628625676F001EE75C#ArchivalVideo" CLASS="related">Archival video, courtesy KTVI Fox 2</A>
<LI><A HREF="/stltoday/news/special/flood93.nsf/C4CCE258128EB3628625676F001EE75C#PhotoGalleries" CLASS="related">Photo galleries from the '93 flood (including readers' photos)</A>
<LI><A HREF="/stltoday/news/special/flood93.nsf/C4CCE258128EB3628625676F001EE75C#Outsidesources" CLASS="related">Related links to outside sources</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.stltoday.com/current" CLASS="related">Discuss the series in our forum</A>
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Flood plain development is a gamble against the river, and Missouri has rolled the dice on more land than any other state affected by the Vflood, according to a study done for the Post-Dispatch. In the past decade, offices, shopping centers and highways have covered at least 4,200 acres of flood plain, most of which was under water. And more are in the works.
Projects under way or on the drawing boards in St. Louis and St. Charles counties would convert 14,000 acres of agricultural flood plain into commercial and residential development.
Since the flood, local development interests have pushed with renewed zeal to control the biggest tracts of open, private land left; much of that land was under water 10 years ago. City officials and landowners have worked hand-in-hand with developers to take advantage of liberal regulations and generous public subsidies for flood plain development.
Supporters say the benefits justify what they consider to be a small chance of flooding. But critics say the trend puts short-term economic gains ahead of long-term safety and environmental stability.
Major Findings of the Examination
An examination by the Post-Dispatch has found that:
- Missouri's aggressive development contradicts the recommendations of a federal flood task force, whose 1994 report said new flood plain development should be avoided, levee construction should be limited and people and buildings should be moved out of the river's way, whenever possible.
- Missouri lawmakers have declined to enact statewide flood plain regulations, allowing communities to develop flood plains without fully evaluating or compensating for negative effects on their neighbors. Other Midwestern states -- including Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin -- have stricter rules on flood plain development.
- A growing body of scientific evidence has detected increased flood heights of 3 to 12 feet on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, a trend which shows no signs of stopping. The scientists blame levees and flood plain development in part for the increase.
- Up to 1.1 million people and billions of dollars worth of development in the flood plains of the Upper Mississippi River basin could face an increased risk of flooding because of continued development. This risk may go largely unrecognized and uninsured because of the lack of mandatory flood insurance behind levees.
- Public money supports flood plain development through levee construction, levee repair, disaster aid, insurance costs and infrastructure such as roads, bridges and drainage systems. In Missouri, tax money also has been funneled to flood plain retail and residential projects through the use of an economic development tool called tax-increment financing.
Read the complete series online for more details about these findings.
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