150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS VICKSBURG DISTRICT
Congressional Record Vol. 169, No. 130
(Senate - July 27, 2023) PDF
Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I am pleased to recognize the
Vicksburg District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--USACE--for 150
years of exceptional service to the people of Mississippi and our
Nation.
Founded in 1873 when Captain William Henry Harrison Benyaurd created
a USACE office in Monroe, LA, the Vicksburg District now covers 68,000
square miles in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana; nine major river
basins; 278 miles of the Mississippi River; and 460 miles of mainline
Mississippi River levees. In 1884, the first permanent Vicksburg office
was formed by Captain Eric Bergland. Vicksburg National Military Park
was largely constructed by the Vicksburg District in the early 1900s.
In response to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and as directed by
the Flood Control Act of 1928, the Vicksburg District designed and
implemented an extensive flood control program, commonly referred to as
the Mississippi Rivers and Tributaries--MR&T--project, which continues
to serve the people of Mississippi to this day.
The benefits the Vicksburg District brings to Mississippians and the
Nation are hard to quantify, but should not be taken for granted. The
average annual benefits of the MR&T project alone are valued at $1.46
billion, but the positive impacts associated with the many watersheds,
ports, locks and dams, reservoirs, and flood control structures the
district manages go far beyond any dollar amount.
The Vicksburg District continues to boast some of the brightest
engineering minds in the world as it designs, constructs, and maintains
premier civil works projects. In addition to fulfilling its mission of
flood control, it also excels in its other mission areas, including
navigation, hydro-power, recreation, water supply, emergency
operations, and environmental restoration. I am grateful for its
important work to protect the people, economy, and natural resources of
Mississippi, and I look forward seeing what the Vicksburg District
accomplishes in the future.