By MATT GOURAS
Associated Press
HELENA, Mont. (AP) - An expert panel says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wasn't to blame for record Missouri River flooding this year, but that several changes could help avoid a disastrous repeat.
A 99-page report the corps is releasing Tuesday says that the current manuals and procedures could be improved and updated to recognize the more recent weather extremes following "unprecedented levels of runoff that could not be predicted in advance."
The corps has said that the floods caused $630 million in damage to the levees, dams and channels built to control the river. The corps manages the 2,341-mile-long river, which flows from Montana through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri.
One recommendation from the experts calls for improved monitoring of pending snowmelt in plains states.
Editor's note: See an expanded version of this story here.