Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:
The Great Flood of 2011
Original Presentation- June 12, 2012 Big Muddy Speaker Series – Rocheport 2012
“The Great Flood of 2011” – by Doug Latka, US Army Corps of Engineers, Missouri River Water Management Division
The Missouri River flood of 2011 was created by a pile of unprecedented circumstances. And it was the first major flood in the reaches of river immediately below the reservoirs since they were built. Releases from the dams stayed at 160,000 cfs for most of the summer, more than twice what the Corps of Engineers had ever released before.
The devastation from the flood impacted the daily lives of thousands of people living along the river. Many people, from bottomland farmers to US Senators attempted to understand what happened, what can prevent such an event in the future and, by extension, how should Missouri River management be changed.
Meet Your Presenter
Doug Latka
, Biologist
Doug Latka has been a biologist for 22 years with the US Army Corps of Engineers – Missouri River Water Management Division, which is in charge of the Missouri River mainstem reservoir system. He has 31 years of federal experience in water resources management impacts to river ecosystems. During the Flood of 2011, he was involved in flood forecasting, reservoir releases and informing the public and partners of the changing situation as it unfolded.
Related Presentations
Resources & Links
Resources
- Presentation Flier (pdf)»
- Doug’s presentation as a pdf (4.7MB)»
- Missouri River Water Management Division (includes forecasts and hydrological analysis)
- “Post 2011 Flood Event Analysis of Missouri River Mainstem Flood Control Storage” – a USACE report released in April 2012 (pdf)»
- Press Kit: “Technical Analysis of Missouri River
Mainstem Flood Control Storage” (pdf)» - Big Muddy News posts during the Flood of 2011, with many links to photos, articles and editorials (scroll down to find past links»
- Doug Latka’s 2012 presentation “Lessons Learned from 2011 Flood of Record … and the Path Forward” (9MB pdf)»
- Amazing collection of aerial photos during the flood taken by Lee Valley Auctions»
The Big Muddy Speaker Series in Rocheport
is hosted by these wonderful partners.
- Missouri River Relief
- Friends of Big Muddy
- Columbia Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office (USFWS)
- Les Bourgeois Vineyards
- Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge
Special thanks to Les Bourgeois Vineyards for giving us the opportunity to use their beautiful space overlooking the Missouri River. All speakers are presenting for free! Thank you all for sharing your knowledge with us! Click here for a list of upcoming presentations» The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place monthly in Kansas City and St. Charles.
The Big Muddy Speaker Series is partially funded by the Columbia Ecological Services Field Office (USFWS) and the Mo. Dept. of Conservation.
Upcoming Presentations
Leave No Trace Training on the Barge
October 14, 2026St. Louis, MO
Join us for a special Big Muddy Speaker Series on the Living Lands & Waters Barge where Perry Whitaker will lead us in a Leave No Trace Training.
See Event
Missouri River Relief: 25 Years on the Big Muddy
November 10, 2026Columbia, MO
Join us for a journey through time celebrating 25 years of Missouri River Relief's work on the Big Muddy.
See Event
Plastic Pollution, Gulf Hypoxia, and Water Quality
November 11, 2026St Charles, MO
Jennifer Wendt from MidAmerica Clean Future guides us through understanding regional water quality challenges.
See Event