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Birds Point Blast

By Chad Lampe

Murray, KY – Flood waters now begin to slowly recede in our region thanks in part to breaching the Birds Point Levee in Missouri. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers performed the final blast today to effectively flood 130,000 acres of farmland, and some 100 homes. Corp officials say the breach prevented flooding to some 2.5 million acres along the Mississippi. Corp Spokesperson Lisa Coghlan explains the breach's effect in the terms of a siphon.

"It's like having uhm one big fish bowl and then having another fish bowl that can obtain some of the water to draw off the other fish bowl."

Coghlan says water will rise slower in southern states thanks to the breach. But, near historic river levels are still predicted Mississippi River counties.