The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) released the 2024 proposed water management plan on June 28, 2024. The DEIS reflects open dialogue with affected communities and stakeholders and the Corps looks forward to continuing to hear from communities, the public, and interested parties during the public comment period to ensure all interested parties have an opportunity to be heard. All input provided will be considered in the development of the final environmental impact statement. In person and virtual public sessions will also be scheduled to provide additional opportunities for engagement.
The comment period will conclude on August 12, 2024.
Please note: Page ii of the Main Document (link below) incorrectly shows July 01, 2024 as the final day to submit comments. We apologize for this error and any confusion it may have caused.
Click this link to submit comments via email: YazooBackwater@usace.army.mil
Or by postal mail to:
Attention: CEMVK-PPMD
Vicksburg District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
4155 East Clay Street
Vicksburg, Mississippi, 39183
High Mississippi River events can require the closure of the Steele Bayou water control structure. When that water control structure is closed, rain can accumulate behind the levee within the YSA drainage system, causing flooding in the Yazoo Backwater Study Area (YSA). The 2024 proposed water management plan for the YSA builds on decades of public input and a legacy of environmental data and is informed by a robust interagency partnership as well as new environmental and hydrologic data. The 2024 water management plan addresses the flood risk aspect of the YSA, inclusive of structural and non-structural features, while supporting continued environmental and ecological health and mitigating impacts.
The Corps has engaged in concerted and meaningful coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) under a 2023 collaboration memorandum of understanding while also extensively engaging with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This collaboration has informed a plan that addresses longstanding flooding issues while preserving ecological functions that are essential to wildlife in the area. The plan includes managing water levels during the crop and non-crop seasons using the existing gate structures, including allowing for increased fisheries exchange to the backwater area, and the addition of a pumping station feature to provide vital water management solutions for flood risk reduction for communities and the local economy while avoiding, minimizing, and mitigating environmental impacts. The plan also includes a non-structural component consisting of acquisition of primary residential properties in the most frequently flooded areas and optional acquisition of or placement of restrictive easements on agricultural lands in the most frequently flooded land. Finally, the collaborating federal agencies will enter into agreements on adaptive management and monitoring, compensatory mitigation planning, and water operations.