US Army Corps of Engineers
Vicksburg District Website

Vicksburg District Closes Steele Bayou Control Structure

Published June 7, 2019
Current status of the Steele Bayou Structure near Eagle Lake, MS during the high water events from the Mississippi Delta and the Mississippi River.

Current status of the Steele Bayou Structure near Eagle Lake, MS during the high water events from the Mississippi Delta and the Mississippi River.

Vicksburg, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District closed the gates of the Steele Bayou Control Structure June 7 to prevent backflow into the south Delta.

Heavy rainfall across the region during the past two weeks has elevated the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Because the river side of the Steele Bayou Control Structure has risen above the interior elevation of the Yazoo Backwater area, the Yazoo Backwater is unable to drain, and thus, the gates of the Steele Bayou Control Structure must be closed to prevent the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers from further flooding the Delta.

The Steele Bayou Control Structure, which was built in 1969, combined with the Mississippi River and Yazoo Backwater levees, prevents the Yazoo and Mississippi rivers from backing up and further flooding the Delta. Until today, the gates of the Steele Bayou Control Structure have been opened since May 22.

District personnel and their local partners will continuing to monitor the conditions of flood control works, including levees, flood walls and pumping stations across the entirety of the district’s jurisdiction. The district has observed no significant issues at its flood control sites.

Citizens are encouraged to contact local authorities and management officials for updates about conditions in their area and should avoid activities on or near flood control works.

The Vicksburg District encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana that holds seven major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. The district is engaged in hundreds of projects and employs approximately 1,000 personnel.

 

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Contact
Jessica Dulaney
601-631-5818
jessica.l.dulaney@usace.army.mil

Release no. 19-016