June 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 33

L AW R E V I E W

Federal Flood-Control Immunity:
Slippery When Wet
By James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

T

he U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is the largest provider of
water-based outdoor recreation in the nation with 422 lake and river
projects in 43 states. More than 90 percent of these recreation areas are
located within 50 miles of a major metropolitan center (www.usace.army.mil/
Missions/CivilWorks/Recreation.aspx).

In particular, the St. Louis District
of the Corps operates and maintains five lakes and their associated recreational areas. These lakes,
which serve a variety of purposes
ranging from flood protection and
recreation to potable water supply
and hydroelectricity, collectively average more than 15 million visitors
a year (www.mvs.usace.army.mil/
About/MissionandVision.aspx).
One of these five lakes operated and
maintained by the St. Louis Corps
District is Lake Shelbyville in cen-

tral Illinois (www.youtube.com/
watch?v=uPRpcmXYxMc).
Beginning operation in 1970, Lake
Shelbyville was constructed for flood
control in the Kaskaskia River basin.
The 11,000-acre lake and its surrounding uplands offer a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities,
including boating, swimming, camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, biking,
golfing and horseback riding (www.
lakeshelbyville.com/recreation.htm).
At normal pool, Lake Shelbyville
averages 16 feet in depth, with a max-

imum depth of 67 feet. Islands, coves,
peninsulas and inlets create 250 miles
of wooded shoreline, which extends
17 miles from the dam at Shelbyville
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sJPk
906kg4). Development of the shoreline has been intentionally kept to
a minimum in order to preserve the
lake's natural features and scenic vistas throughout its length.
At Lake Shelbyville, normal summer pool is 599.7 feet above sea
level and winter pool is 594.0 feet
above sea level. Water levels in excess of the flood-stage benchmark
of 599.7 feet above sea level would
be considered flood waters in Lake
Shelbyville. On April 3, 2014, the
Lake Shelbyville website reported
that the boat ramps were open and

W W W. N R PA . O R G | J U N E 2 0 1 4 |

Parks & Recreation

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June 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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