Vicksburg hosts Yazoo Backwater Study meetings

The latest information concerning the Yazoo Backwater Study and the decades-long quest to solve flooding problems in the Yazoo Backwater Area took place Tuesday in Vicksburg.

Following three meetings held Monday in Rolling Fork, an additional trio of public town hall-style meetings took place Tuesday at the Ardis T. Williams Auditorium, with officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District and a number of other agencies presenting information and answering the public’s questions.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Project Planning and Review Robyn Colosimo said flooding in the Yazoo Backwater area has occurred 20 out of the last 42 years, with the “historic” 2019 flood standing as the longest inundation since 1927. Colosimo said the flooding has resulted in 500,000 acres of flooded area; hundreds of people being displaced from their homes; catastrophic repercussions for wildlife habitats and populations; negative effects on recreation; entire crops lost for local farmers, resulting in approximately $800 million in agricultural damages; and long periods of hypoxia (dissolved oxygen less that 3.00 mg/l) impacting aquatic resources.

While Tuesday’s meetings served as a platform for locals to voice their concerns, officials, including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Vicksburg District Commander Col. Jeremiah Gipson, also used the time to lay out four proposed plans for addressing the problems, including scenarios for pump usage attached to four proposed alternatives.

The four plans included the “No Action” plan, which entails water management solutions with two operational scenarios, including one to be performed during a crop season from March 16 through Oct. 15 and a non-crop season from Oct. 16 through March 15; and a second during a crop season from March 25 through Oct. 15 and a non-crop season from Oct. 14 through March 24 with 34 low flow shallow water groundwater wells in the upper basin to supplement flows during drought conditions; limited nonstructural measures to further reduce flood risk below 90 feet and 93 feet; mandatory acquisition of structures below 90 feet; voluntary acquisition of structures located between 90 and 93 feet; and voluntary acquisitions of cleared land to 93 feet in order to further reduce flood damages to properties.

Alternative two included a crop season of March 16 through Oct. 15 and a non-crop season of Oct. 16 through March 15. Alternative three included a crop season of March 25 through and October 15 and a non-crop season of Oct. 16 through March 24.

A fourth alternative, specified as the “Nonstructural Plan” included voluntary acquisition of structures in recent historical floodplains (2019) and voluntary acquisition of cleared land in recent historical floodplains (2019) to further reduce flood damages to properties.

Officials said the proposed water management solution would include a five-year floodplain during non-crop season with pumping initiated  to hold water to an elevation of 93 feet or a two-year floodplain during crop season with pumping initiated to hold water to an elevation of 90 feet.

For context, officials said, with the years 1979 through 2020 as a guide, alternative two would have resulted in a median average of 30 days per year when pumps would have been active, with a mean of 39 days. Alternative three would have resulted in a mean average of 26 days per year with the pumps active and a mean of 38 days.