vernon

What he said. There's got to be a lot "current" in the water and I don't mean the actual movement of water either. There's way more hazards in that lake right now than just floaters.

That's actually great news. Each day should get a little better until all heck breaks loose. I hope. Glad you were able to make "lemonade" in those conditions!

Best of luck to you guys. Gonna be a challenge that's for sure. We're coming in Saturday but will be down by Indian Point. The "good" news is that we've been there at some point or another during most of the high water events for the last 35 or so years and have always managed to catch some fish and have a good time in spite of the circumstances. Hopefully, this time will be no exception.

I guess I should have added "sideways". That always gets my stomach churnin'. Thanks for nothing Ken Griffey Jr.

Spot on.

Outstanding! Finally, a look behind the actual curtain of life. A breath of fresh air after all of the fake news being peddled around out there. Thank you for clearing things up!

It's much more complicated than that but there are many scenarios where that would indeed be the case. There are so many calculations that go into those decisions that it's difficult to describe. But you're right in that it has definitely been done in the past.

This image just goes to prove our point about flat bills. The ONLY way that he could possibly look any stupider is if he had on a flat bill! Case closed.

When we were young all the "old" people made fun of and gave us crap too. It's just an inherent privilege benefited to anyone getting old that's been passed down for thousands of generations. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I remember a Sunday school lesson where Abraham was giving some kid crap about how stupid his new sandals looked. I also think he told him his toga was too short too and made him look like a girl. They didn't need to be right then and neither do we now. Flatbills look stupid and so does your hair. GET OFF MY LAWN you ungrateful little privileged sack of..................... And get a job!!

Them's better directions than I've ever gotten from my GPS!

Another perspective just up the road. Why Weren’t Floodgates Opened Sooner? Dam Operator Explains

THAT is great! Although I woulda sworn that it was Charlie Ingram. Err, I mean Mark Zona. Or Orlando Wilson...........

Man, that's too bad. Great that he can keep a sense of humor and a certain level of perspective about the whole deal.

A bargain at twice the price!

2shay!

Thanks Jerry.

I will never forget the first time that I sat in on one of the USACE Office of Emergency Management briefings during a major flood event on an occasion that one or more State Representatives were present. When the realtime briefings were concluded the reps asked a few rather vague questions and then congratulated and thanked us for the great job we had done under daunting circumstances. They said that there was nothing that we could have done better or differently and to keep up the good work. Then they exited the briefing room and walked about fifty feet to where the news media had been waiting for them. They immediately began to berate the irresponsible and unexplainable actions of the COE and said that they were calling for "a total and complete investigation" as to why so many of their constituents had been needlessly harmed by the actions of the COE. I was incredulous and asked one of higher up guys just what the heck (not the word I used) was going on. He replied that "angry voters are more likely to vote than happy ones". Again, please don't blame the COE for doing what they're legally mandated to do.

A much more eloquently stated example of much of what I was trying to say in my earlier post. Thank you for the much needed and additional clarity.

No, thank you.

I disagree. To have done anything differently than what they did would have likely been a direct violation of federal law and would have cost someone their career and maybe worse. All of the protocols, policies and procedures exist for a reason and they all must be strictly adhered to or else the entire system breaks down and the consequences would almost certainly be much worse for someone somewhere along the line. It's impossible and impractical to look at any one, two or even three reservoirs in an isolated manner. What happens from here all the way back to North Dakota significantly impacts what happens all the way to the gulf and everything in between. Table Rock Lake did and is doing exactly what it was constructed to do - hold massive amounts of excess flood water in order to reduce damage and losses downstream.

Maybe so, but not nearly as nuts as the flat bill hat!

I know I'm gonna get roasted for this but all of the COE bashing just isn't fair or accurate. The fact of the matter is, Table Rock Dam/Lake was not designed nor built to prevent flooding - only to control it to whatever extent possible both above and below the dam and to generate power. Anything else is incidental. Whether you're talking about Table Rock, Beaver or Bull Shoals, each is only a small piece of a massive puzzle and none of them exists for or serves at the pleasure of the people that live on their banks. Or on Lake Taneycomo or Branson Landing or anywhere else along the White River chain. They're there to control property damage and erosion for literally millions of people and many thousands of square miles of land throughout the Mississippi River Valley. And to generate power. Their function is to capture and hold massive amounts of water so it can then be released in a controlled fashion rather than allowing it to all flow unchecked as it did for the many years previously. The COE does not have the legal authority to do what so many people that populate the lake area would like them to do. They serve totally at the behest of Congress. They are funded by Congress and controlled by Congress and follow laws as legislated by Congress. The COE also does not have the legal authority to release water based on weather forecasts - they only react to measured water on the ground. If you think that's dumb, talk to your State Representative about changing the laws, not the Corps. If any single entity at the COE were ever to decide to release water based on a weather forecast, they would be removed and replaced immediately as would any successor that subsequently chose to operate in such a rogue manner. It's not that the COE doesn't pay attention to weather forecasts because they monitor them closely. However, they utilize them to develop contingency plans and not to dictate water releases. Measured water on the ground is the only scientific way to determine inflows and predict outcomes. They are engineers - not fortune tellers. It has been stated that the COE has a "book" and it needs to be revised. Well, there is indeed a book and it's called the Master Plan and it is massive. Not only that, I'm pretty sure that it's been in revision for quite a few years now although I don't know if they've finalized the update. And, participation and input from the local community is/was solicited and encouraged to assist in the plans development and ultimate revision. That's standard stuff. However, I was a Kansas City District guy so I'm not intimately familiar with the Little Rock District but I do know that plans and policies are not kept secret and are readily available for review. The deal is it's all about the big picture and no one person, town or lake community is more important than another and all are taken into consideration in the process. The reservoirs exist to store water and generate power and that's it. They do not have the legal authority to effect changes in water levels with regard to recreation, dock/ramp/marina access, fisheries management or any other fun related stuff. A few have stated that it must take the idiots at the COE three, four or five times to figure out that rain is coming and flooding is inevitable. Yet, many of these people choose to live in locations while being fully aware that they're prone to flooding. Ironically, they truly believe that the entire area is managed by a bunch of incompetent, flood happy morons but yet they continue to live there and singularly blame the morons year after year? I know one thing, the insurance companies determined a long time ago who's gonna pay for damages and losses and it ain't the morons at the COE. Please believe me when I say that no one outside of the affected area is more concerned about all of the good people that are being negatively impacted by this event than I am. And I don't mean to sound cold or uncaring as nothing could be further from the truth. I truly love that place and all of the residents that make it what it is. However, the facts are what they are and none of this is being wrought upon anyone as the result of incompetency on the part of anyone at USACE. If no one wants to go to the trouble of reviewing the Master Plan for themselves or otherwise research what the purpose and function of the White River system really is I would encourage them to just click on the below link to a basic FAQ that addresses some very simple questions and answers about the White River reservoir system, it's purpose and it's function. Much of it is pointedly applicable at this very moment. White River FAQ's - US Army Corps of Engineers

Well done as always Ben. Hard to believe how much it's changed since we pulled out of Indian Point yesterday at 1000.

Pretty much any parking lot will do when it gets like it is now.

My CSI credentials must have expired!