#FINISHTHEPUMPS

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a new Environmental Impact Statement on October 16 recommending completion of the Yazoo Backwater Area Pumps. Comments on the document and the Pumps can be submitted until November 30, 2020. This second comment period is similar to the prior comment period that ended in June. All who submitted comments and letters for the first round are encouraged to submit a comment in this second round in support of the completion of the pumps.

The Yazoo backwater has flooded in nine of the last ten years.  The historic flood of 2019 covered 548,000 acres, remaining on the land for over 6 months.  Flood damages, based on changed flood frequency, height and duration, have increased since this important project was authorized in 1941.  It is time to complete this final component of the flood control project.

The SEIS presents a project that differs from the project described in 2007.  At that time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “vetoed” the Pumps based on assumed adverse potential impacts to wetlands habitat.  This 2020 SEIS demonstrates that such impacts will not occur.  The 2020 Proposed Project offers additional features for environmental improvement:

• Stream flow augmentation during dry periods, to enhance fish and wildlife habitat, consisting of water from 34 wells along the Mainline Mississippi River Levee in the upper part of the study area.
• Reforestation of virtually all low-lying land under 87’ with the fee purchase of 2,405 acres for compensatory mitigation and another 2,700 acres of reforestation easements for non-structural flood control.
• Adaptive management plan, which will allow adaptations if necessary to environmental protection based on actual monitoring results, not predictions.
• Improved accuracy of wetland delineation, using 1-foot contour maps rather than 10-foot contours and over 10 years of actual monitoring data
• Improved information on fish, wildlife and wetlands based on data collection and studies published with the past 10 years.
• Change in pump station location and pump fuel (natural gas) to minimize impacts.

The SEIS examines the Pumps as described in 2007 in light of this new information.  The 2020 Proposed Project consists of a 14,000 cfs pumping station located at Deer Creek which will reduce the height and duration of backwater floods. The Pumps will lower the Base Flood Elevation (BFE)(the 100-year flood) 5.1’ from 100.3’ to 95.2’. This 5.1’ reduction removes the vast majority of homes and all highways out of the BFE. This 5.1’ reduction will keep habitat flood-free for the wildlife to survive during backwater floods.

The Corps’ SEIS will be open for public comment until November 30, 2020.  The Corps will provide information in the future about a virtual public meeting on the SEIS.

We urge the Community to comment on the SEIS so that the Corps understands the importance of this project.