"Army Corps of Engineers Said to Err on Flooding Risk"

"An attempt by the Army Corps of Engineers to correct old data on water flows in the Mississippi may have led to underestimates of the current risk of flooding along the river, scientists argue in a new study.

The study argues that a change in the way water flows were measured, dating from the 1930s, mistakenly led the corps to make downward adjustments in data from the 1800s and early 1900s. That in turn is leading to underestimates of the risk of flooding today on the Mississippi between the Ohio and Missouri Rivers, and to inadequate preparations by government agencies, said Nicholas Pinter, a geology professor at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and the author of the new report."

Matthew L. Wald reports for the New York Times April 14, 2010.