VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Aug. 19 as a precautionary response to the degradation of the spillway gates at Lindy C. Boggs Lock and Dam (L&D) on the Red River.
The EOC was activated at Level 2, or Emergency Watch, which means personnel will monitor conditions from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
A gate failure could lead to a loss of pool. The project's spillway gates are deteriorated due to age, and Gate #4 has been taken out of operation with stoplogs, or long steel beams stacked on top of one another to create a barrier that controls water level.
At this time, there are no impacts to navigation or the public. The district will continue to provide updates as they become available.
The district remains committed to communicating Lindy C. Boggs L&D’s status with the Red River Waterway Commission, the Red River Valley Association and other partners and stakeholders.
To report a problem during unmonitored hours, contact EOC Chief Robert Hess at 601-868-4024.
Boggs L&D is the first lock and dam on the Red River and part of the J. Bennett Johnston (JBJ) Waterway system. Located on the Red River at mile 43.8 about 11 miles north of Marksville, Louisiana, the lock and dam system is part of the Monroe Navigation Project Office and operated by a contracted company.
The J. Bennett Johnston Waterway traverses over 225 miles from its confluence with the Atchafalaya River to Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana. The waterway includes five locks and dams and five ports, which handle approximately 9 million tons of commodities per year and support over 1,300 jobs. The waterway offers convenient, cost-effective access to regional, national, and international markets. Commodities that have been the staple for the ports include refined oil products, fertilizer, construction grade sand & gravel and steel products.
The USACE Vicksburg District is engineering solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. The Vicksburg District encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana that holds nine major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. The Vicksburg District is engaged in hundreds of projects and employs approximately 1,100 personnel.