Mississippi River Levels Begin Rapid Fall

Vicksburg, Miss – After recently enduring near record high stages, the Mississippi River has begun to decrease in water levels.  Forecasters predict the Mississippi River will fall rapidly over the next seven to ten days, from 36 feet to approximately 21 feet on the Vicksburg gage. 

The falling Mississippi River levels enabled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District (Corps) to re-open the gates at the Steel Bayou structure on Wednesday, 24 July 2013.  This will release approximately thirteen feet of water from Steele Bayou which will drain over 110,000 acres of land in the lower Yazoo Back water area.  The gates at the Little Sunflower Structure are also currently open.

Additionally, the Corps will open the Muddy Bayou gates sometime during the next week to allow water levels in Eagle Lake to lower approximately two feet.  This will be a welcome relief for Eagle Lake residents and dock owners who endured higher than normal lake levels since mid-February. 

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 levees. The primary mission of Vicksburg District’s four Mississippi lakes, backwater levees and structures is flood damage risk reduction.   Since its inception, the Mississippi River and Tributaries flood risk reduction projects have cumulatively prevented approximately $ 612 billion of flood damage. For more information visit our website, www.mvk.usace.army.mil