VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District Mat Sinking Unit (MSU) forged ahead with revetment operations on the Mississippi River, Tuesday, following a safety pause due to COVID-19. The floating plant’s annual season took a four week pause to help ensure the safety of the crew during the most recent COVID-19 spike.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineer (USACE) Vicksburg District Commander Col. Robert Hilliard and Deputy District Engineer Ms. Pat Hemphill, met with USACE team members with the Tulsa and Mobile districts as well as the Charlie Company, 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) at the Hurricane Ida Staging Area, Camp Shelby, Mississippi, Aug. 31, 2021. The temporary power teams were staged to provide temporary power support as assigned by FEMA for the Federal response. USACE is working in partnership with the local, state and federal response to Hurricane Ida. (USACE photo by Sabrina Dalton)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District Kent Parrish, Senior Project Manager, provides a brief about the endangered pondberry plant to Acting Secretary for the Army of Civil Works Mr. Jaime Pinkham (left), USACE Mississippi Valley Division Commanding General Maj. Gen. Diana Holland, USACE Vicksburg District Commander Col. Robert Hilliard, and to other leadership, Aug. 25, 2021, in the Delta National Forest, Mississippi. Mr Pinkham visited Vicksburg District to learn more about the Yazoo Backwater (YBW) Project. (USACE photo by Sabrina Dalton)

VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District recently awarded a $9.1 million emergency contract for a stabilization project at Natchez National Cemetery. District leadership worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and city officials to expedite the project after high levels of erosion were discovered in the south and west reaches of the property. This effort will secure the integrity of the cemetery’s bluff from significant erosion incidents in the future to allow the cemetery to remain open for years to come.

VICKSBURG, Miss. – An 800-pound dart-shaped instrument is the latest tool to map beneath the surface of levees in a partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District and the U.S. Geological Survey. For the first time, a regional geophysical survey will provide a full overview of 800 miles of the Mississippi River mainline levees. Sometimes called a bird, the frequency domain system suspended from a helicopter will use frequency technology similar to LiDAR to differentiate between various soil layers and penetrate about 150 feet under the surface. (USACE photo by Bucky Wall)

VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS); U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mississippi Valley Division; and USACE Vicksburg District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for a pilot Groundwater Transfer and Injection Project near Shellmound, Mississippi, June 8. The ceremony was held at the project site and included remarks from Archie Tucker, USDA-ARS, Southeast Area Director; Maj. Gen. Diana Holland, USACE Mississippi Valley Division Commanding General; Col. Robert Hilliard, USACE Vicksburg District Commander; Chris Wells, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Executive Director and Governor's Delta Sustainable Water Resources Task Force; Dr. Daniel Wren, USDA-ARS, Civil Engineer; and Dr. James R. Rigby, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (USACE photo by Bucky Wall)

The Yazoo Area Pump Project is a part of the Yazoo Basin, Yazoo Backwater, Mississippi, Project, which was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1941. The pump project is the only feature that remains unconstructed. The USACE Vicksburg District is committed to developing sustainable solutions to flooding in the South Delta.

The revetment mission is about to get an upgrade. Armor 1 is a state-of-the-art piece of machinery that will make the task of fortifying the banks of the Mississippi River safer and more efficient than ever. Replacing the nearly 70-year-old Mat Sinking Unit, Armor 1 will revolutionize the way that we manage the mighty Mississippi.