Letter: Corps’ thinking is badly out of date

The Corps proposed, designed and built the dikes in the 1940s, condemning land adjacent to the Columbia, using state-of-the-art solutions and knowledge of prudent flood control.

We no longer live in the ’40s. Our understanding of riparian ecology has advanced light years. The Corps remains mired in the past. They believe that the interests of the Tri-Cities are best served by a U.S. Army occupation with the imposition of “martial law,” management by autocratic decision-making, and disdain for local input and opinions.

Dikes are now recognized as being enormously environmentally damaging, worsen downstream flooding, and destroy our riverfront and riparian habitats. The only flooding risk is incompetent mismanagement of river flow. The colonel’s op-ed asserted that we need new pumping stations costing $18 million. The river is the low point here. Water will seek its lowest level. The Corps has constructed dikes that prevent groundwater from reaching the river. If they removed the dikes, runoff is perfectly capable of making it to the Columbia River.

The Corps’ mission is complete. A comprehensive riverfront planning process akin to Vista Field can balance the interests of recreation, economic development and riparian wildlife preserves.