After decades of debate and multiple failed attempts, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving forward with a controversial project to address backwater flooding in Mississippi’s South Delta region.
The latest plan, detailed in a federal report released Nov. 29, would install high-volume pumps in the Yazoo Backwater Area, an agricultural region north of Vicksburg flanked by the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers. That area has experienced severe inundations over the years, including a 2019 flood that affected roughly 600 residences and left more than 500,000 acres submerged. State officials estimate that the flood cost the local agriculture industry about $800 million.
The plan in the Corps’ Final Environmental Impact Statement aims to reduce flooding while minimizing harm to the area’s vast natural wetlands, which perform an array of ecological functions and rely on rain and floodwater for survival. Federal agencies have rejected previous versions of the Yazoo Pumps project because of their potential to damage those wetlands and the wildlife they house.
Corps officials say the new scheme, developed with the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal partners, strikes the right balance between flood management and conservation.
@media ( min-width: 300px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 99px;}}@media ( min-width: 320px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 99px;}}@media ( min-width: 728px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 90px;}}
“Our collaborative approach … showcases the strength of interagency partnerships in developing solutions that reduce the flood risk to local communities and infrastructure, and safeguard our natural resources,” Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jaime Pinkham said in a Nov. 27 press release.
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jaime Pinkham said the latest Yazoo Pumps plan strikes a balance between flood management and conservation. U.S. Army photo by William Pratt
The new FEIS leaves key questions unanswered, however, including how much the latest Yazoo Pumps project is likely to cost. Mississippi lawmakers have previously estimated that the plan could be priced at half a billion dollars, while independent organizations believe the number to be higher still.
The Corps-backed project has also drawn fierce pushback from environmental
Read original article by clicking here.