Update January 17, 2025: Corps of Engineers issues Record of Decision for the 2024 Yazoo Backwater Study Area water management plan

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has signed a record of decision marking a significant milestone in the efforts to address flooding and environmental challenges in the region.

Maj. Gen. Kimberly A. Peeples, commander of the Mississippi Valley Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, signed the Record of Decision for the 2024 Yazoo Backwater Study Area water management plan yesterday. 

The decision comes after years of study, community input and careful planning to improve water management while supporting local communities and habitats. USACE worked closely with key federal agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), forming innovative partnerships to create a unified approach to water management that resulted in an implementable project that is environmentally compliant.

The Yazoo Backwater area has faced long-standing flooding issues, particularly during high stages of the Mississippi River, leading to significant impacts on local communities, environmental habitat, agricultural lands, and infrastructure. The plan improves the safety, security, and quality of life for the communities in the Yazoo Backwater area.

The plan includes the installation of high-volume pumps at the Steele Bayou Water Control Structure and managing water levels to the 90-foot elevation mark during the crop season (March 25 – October 15) and the 93-foot elevation mark during the non-crop season (October 16 – March 24). Additionally, a nonstructural feature will be implemented to address flood impacts on properties in impacted areas, which includes a voluntary acquisition program for affected structures and agricultural lands, along with options for floodproofing or raising structures.

"Reaching this milestone is a testament to the technical expertise, dedication, and collaboration of our team. This record of decision reflects our shared commitment to serving the Yazoo Backwater community and to finding solutions to a longstanding issue that has affected our Mississippi Delta communities for decades,” said Col. Jeremiah Gipson, commander of the USACE Vicksburg District.  “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and this marks an important step forward as we continue to address this challenge and work toward lasting solutions."

Three Memorandums of Agreement will guide future collaboration between USACE, USEPA, and USFWS, ensuring the project’s long-term success:

• Memorandum #1: Pump and Water Control Structure Operations Plans will ensure agency coordination prior to changes to the pump operations and water control structure operations plans. 
• Memorandum #2: Compensatory Mitigation Plan will ensure the environmental compensatory mitigation for the project is fulfilled. 
• Memorandum #3: Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan will ensure appropriate monitoring occurs to determine whether the project impacts identified were correctly assessed and the water management plan is working as intended. 

USACE will now move into the pre-construction engineering and design phase, and the mitigation phase. Mitigation for all environmental impacts will be secured prior to the project construction.  Funding for the construction will be sought in advance of the completion of the design phase. USACE is dedicated to continuing collaboration with local communities and stakeholders throughout the design and implementation phases, ensuring the plan's success in managing flood risks and enhancing the region's resilience. 

Click this link to open the Record of Decision Document

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Vicksburg District, is pleased to announce that the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Yazoo Backwater Study Area (YSA) project is set to be published on November 29, 2024. This critical milestone is the result of collaborative efforts between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USACE, reflecting a commitment to integrated water management and robust public engagement.

The YSA, located in Mississippi north of Vicksburg, is prone to recurrent flooding due to rain accumulation behind levees in the watershed. The final EIS outlines an innovative water management plan that combines both structural and non-structural elements aimed at reducing flood risk while prioritizing environmental sustainability and minimizing impacts to vital wetland resources.

"This final EIS marks a significant step forward in our ongoing commitment to address the challenges of flood risk management in the Yazoo Backwater area," said Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jaime Pinkham. "Our collaborative approach with the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and local entities, showcases the strength of interagency partnerships in developing solutions that reduce the flood risk to local communities and infrastructure, and safeguard our natural resources."

The proposed water management plan is designed to reduce backwater flooding for local communities and agricultural production while ensuring that necessary measures are in place to offset any impacts to wetlands, fish, wildlife, and their habitats. 

The USACE will need to secure mitigation for approximately 1,200 acres of historically unmitigated wetland impacts associated with existing USACE projects in the Basin, alongside mitigation for new unavoidable impacts from the proposed actions.

The USACE received extensive public input gathered during the earlier Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) phase, which concluded on August 12, 2024. The collaborative efforts during this process have allowed for comprehensive engagement with affected communities and stakeholders, ensuring that a wide range of perspectives have been considered in the development of the final document.

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.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has published the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Section 404(b)(1) for the Yazoo Basin, Yazoo Backwater, Mississippi, Project.

This study was originally authorized by the Flood Control Act (FCA) on 18 August 1941 (House Document [HD] 359/77/1), and further amended by the FCA of 22 December 1944 and 27 October 1965 (HD 308/88/2) and the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 and 1996. The 1941 authorization and subsequent modifications, the authorized flood control features included levees, associated drainage channels, pump stations, and water control structures designed to provide flood protection to five subareas of the Yazoo Basin. The DEIS analysis evaluates remaining unconstructed features in one of the five subareas of the authorized Yazoo Basin, Yazoo Backwater, Mississippi, Project Area, and presents a new water management solution to reduce flood risk resulting from high stages of the Mississippi River and consists of structural and nonstructural components. The DEIS and presented alternatives reflect sponsor, agency, stakeholders, and public input and present options to reduce damages from flood risk in the project area. 

The 45-day public review period will begin Friday, June 28, 2024, and end Monday, August 12, 2024.

For further information, please contact Mr. Mike Renacker via e-mail: YazooBackwater@usace.army.mil 

You may also request additional information by mail to: