WSP12172

• File Number: 8027
• Description: Section D General Correspondence - Federal Agencies - Corps of Engineers
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 3/1/1975
• Author: Mississippi Board of
• Title: Mississippi Water News - March 1975
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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VOL. V,
NO. 13

MAR.
Mississippi Board of Water Commissioners, Jackson, Mississippi t2Z5

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Army Corps Of Engineers Errors

Corps Project
Altered Flow
Of Mississippi

Have They Wasted Millions, And Caused Major Flooding?

Farmers Blame Floods
On Delta Channel Work

A recent series of articles appearing in
a Jackson newspaper raised questions re-
garding the activities of the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers in Mississippi and Louisiana.
The Corps was accused of poor preparation
and planning, inadequate construction, and in
some instances, disregard of the citizens for
whom the Corps is supposedly serving.
In defense of the Corps, the tremendous
benefits from the completed Corps flood con-
trol projects must be pointed out. Just one
I small example, damage from the floods of 1973
i in the Yazoo River Basin were approximately
85% to 90% less than what they would have
been without the projects now completed in
the area. Also, benefits from many of the
flood control measures provided by those funds
I will not accrue until all projects are completed.
Even though many millions of dollars ha ve
been spent in Mississippi to reduce flood dam-
ages, flooding still remains a major problem
as evidenced by the floods of'1973-1974.
Better coordination of the Corps' planning
and construction activities with those of other
Federal and State agencies is necessary to

successfully develop a truly comprehensive
and adequate plan or program for flood control
in the State of Mississippi. At the present
time, both the Corps of Engineers and the
various subagencies of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture are engaged in seperate studies
of the Yazoo River Basin. Both agencies 'have
authorization to conduct planning studies with
flood control, or prevention, as a major purpose.
However, the USDA is primarily concerned
with problerr.s and solutions on tributaries of
major streams or watersheds with drainage area
of less than 250,000 acres, while the Corps'
activities <!re focused on the major streams.
The Corps' study has just been initiated,
while the USDA's study is nearing completion.
This makes it more difficult to coordinate the
efforts of the two studies and to achieve the
maximum benefits from both upstream and down-
stream projects.
In addition to a critical and immediate
need to thoroughly reexamine flood problems
in Mississippi, and reanalyze in detail the
benefits, costs, effectiveness, and relative

(cont'd on page 3)