Project News and Notes

Upcoming Events

January 23-26, 2013    Calhoun County Fox Hunt (East end of Grenada Lake)

For more information about special events at Grenada Lake, call the field office at 662.226.5911.

Life Jackets are Mandatory at MS Lakes

The following life jacket rules are being enforced at all four of the Vicksburg District - North Mississippi lakes - Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid and Grenada:

  • All persons must wear a US Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times while swimming outside of designated swimming areas
  • All persons must wear a US Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times while skiing or being pulled by a vessel, regardless of vessel length
  • All persons must wear a US Coast Guard-approved life jacket on powered vessels 16 to 26 feet in length whenever under power by the main propulsion unit
  • All persons must wear a US Coast Guard-approved lief jacket at all times on powered vessels less than 16 feet in length or on non-powered vessels regardless of length

For more information, contact the Grenada Lake Field Office at 662.226.5911 or the MS Project Management Office at 662-578.3873 or 662.712.1201.

Press Releases

  • Vicksburg District Closes Steele Bayou Control Structure

    Vicksburg, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District closed the gates of the Steele Bayou Control Structure June 7 to prevent backflow into the south Delta. Heavy rainfall across the region during the past two weeks has elevated the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Because the river side of the Steele Bayou Control Structure has risen above the interior elevation of the Yazoo Backwater area, the Yazoo Backwater is unable to drain, and thus, the gates of the Steele Bayou Control Structure must be closed to prevent the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers from further flooding the Delta.
  • Vicksburg District announces annual Engineer’s Day awards

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District hosted its annual Engineer’s Day awards ceremony at the district’s headquarters building in Vicksburg, Mississippi, June 5.
  • Vicksburg District to host regional ‘Industry Day’

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District is scheduled to host a lower Mississippi Valley Division regional “Industry Day” event May 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the district’s headquarters building, located at 4155 Clay Street in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
  • Army Corps of Engineers promotes water safety this summer season

    Summer is almost here and that means millions of Americans will be planning visits to our nation’s lakes and rivers. As the steward of many of these public waters, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reminds visitors to be aware of the importance of practicing safe, sensible and thoughtful activities in and around the water.
  • Vicksburg District Predicts Yazoo Backwater Area to Reach 98 to 98.5 Feet: Eagle Lake Potentially to Equalize with the Backwater Area

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – On May 17, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District notified Warren County Emergency Management, other local, state and federal partners and the public that the Yazoo Backwater area is predicted to crest at 98 to 98.5 feet within the week.
  • High Water Impacts Mississippi Reservoirs: Grenada Lake Flows Enter Spillway

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District notified local authorities and emergency management personnel May 10 that flows from Grenada Lake, located near Interstate 55 in north Mississippi, were forecasted to enter the project’s spillway within the week. Since notifying local authorities and emergency management personnel, flows from the reservoir at Grenada Lake began entering the project’s spillway May 10. The reservoir at Grenada Lake Dam is currently at an elevation of 232.1 feet. The project’s spillway is at an elevation of 231 feet. Any reservoir elevations above the spillway crest will pass through the project’s spillway until the reservoir pool drops below the spillway crest.
  • Vicksburg District Updates Local Officials on Conditions in the Yazoo Backwater Area

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District met with local Warren County officials May 10 at the district’s headquarters building in Vicksburg to provide an overview of current and forecasted conditions in the Yazoo Backwater area and discuss the implications of these conditions on Eagle Lake. Additionally, district engineers provided an update on conditions at the Steele Bayou Control Structure and the Muddy Bayou Control Structure, located approximately 10 miles north of Vicksburg.
  • High Water in the Mississippi River Valley

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – Protecting people, infrastructure, commerce, agriculture and energy are always at the forefront of what we do at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division (MVD). National Weather Service (NWS) analyses show a high pressure area located near the Southeast coast of the United States and a large trough out west. “This is the same pattern seen in most of the significant flooding events in the Mississippi Valley over the past 120 years, including the high water experienced earlier this year,” said Bill Frederick, senior NWS meteorologist and NWS liaison at the Mississippi Valley Division. NWS model guidance suggests this pattern will continue through at least the middle of May and will produce areas of very heavy rains across the Mississippi watershed. Currently, models show the heaviest rains falling over the Arkansas/Red/White/lower Missouri/middle Mississippi/Illinois valleys.
  • High Water Delays Work at Columbia Lock, Dam

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – Elevated water levels on the Ouachita River have delayed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District’s emergency repair work at Columbia Lock and Dam, located approximately seven miles upstream of Columbia, Louisiana.
  • Imminent Activation of Arkabutla Lake Dam Spillway

    VICKSBURG, Miss. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District notified local authorities and emergency management personnel April 16 that the activation of the spillway at Arkabutla Lake Dam, located 35 miles north of Marks, Mississippi, is imminent. Arkabutla is one of four lakes in Mississippi maintained and operated by the Vicksburg District. The district’s four flood control reservoirs – Enid, Grenada, Sardis and Arkabutla lakes – are used to hold runoff, or excess rainwater, as a flood-prevention measure.