Delta Democrat Times (Greenville, MS)
Opinion: Science backs Yazoo pumps
By Hank Burdine
I am a Commissioner on the Mississippi Levee Board and a private land owner who lives very close to the backwater area of the South Delta. Much has been said regarding the need for a comprehensive plan for the relief of the backwater flooding that impacts over 600,000 acres of prime farmland and pristine environmental habitat. The farmland has been known as some of the richest soil on earth.
The wooded and watered areas comprise some of the most diverse ecological and varied environmental habitat in the State of Mississippi. This area is part of an overall plan of the federally enacted Mississippi Rivers and Tributaries Project which came out of the Flood Control Act of 1928. There are 23 backwater areas in the MR&T with pumps authorized. All of these pumps are in place except one, the Yazoo Backwater Area. Through the last 15 years, the pumps which are critical to this project have been designed and vetoed, redesigned and ready to go into the construction stage to be vetoed again. Under the current administration, realizing that something had to be done for the South Delta's flooding problems, President Biden enacted an interagency panel to come up with a comprehensive plan to address the problems and concerns.
In early 2022 the Biden Administration's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) coordinated with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USF&WS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began discussions on what can be done to help the South Mississippi Delta backwater flooding. The CEQ came to the Mississippi Delta and along with our U. S. Senators Hyde-Smith and Wicker and Congressman Thompson hosted a public meeting on August 24, 2022 to get hands-on testimony from local constituents of the devastation to the affected people, homes, crop land, roads, wildlife, trees, communities and the environment caused by prolonged backwater flooding.
On January 9, 2023 the Corps and EPA signed an agreement that they will work together with other federal agencies and they tasked themselves to come up with a comprehensive plan within a certain timeline.
On May 4th and 5th, the Corps, EPA, USF&WS and FEMA came back to the South Delta and held meetings to explain their findings and comprehensive recommended preferred approach which includes a 25,000 cubic feet per second pump, elevating some roads, and elevating or providing ring levees or buying out the 24 primary residences that would still be flooded. With the larger pumps, the elevation the pumps would turn on has been raised from 87' to 90' during crop seasons and 93' during the winter. Supplemental low flow wells have been recommended to help keep water in the upper streams during drought times and the Steele Bayou gates will be adjusted to hold water in the system also during the low water times improving fisheries and aquatics habitat.
The majority of cropland and roads will be flood free with 123,000 acres of trees still under water during future flood events at 90'. This is a plan that ALL federal agencies have agreed is the best plan and a win for Environmental Justice, flood control, wildlife, the environment and surrounding communities. The agencies looked at the science, technical data, environmental devastation and emotional hardships and came up with the proper plan to move forward. It's a good plan.
National Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and Audubon Society have stated publicly, however NOT during any of the meetings in front of the panelists for rebuttal or comment, of their opposition to the recommended plan saying basically it's the "same ole same ole." Louie Miller with the Sierra Club stated "It's still an ag drainage project, it's not a flood control project." None of the statements and concerns by Louie Miller or Jill Mastrototaro with the Audubon Society can be backed up by fact. And, why did they NOT bring their concerns up to the panel members representing the federal agencies during the meetings? Have either of them even BEEN to the South Delta during flood times? American Rivers on two occasions listed the Sunflower River in the top 10 rivers to be drained and/or destroyed if pumps are built.
Based on the prior plan with the pumps cutting on at 87', I put my boat in the water at 87' and went 15 or so miles up the Big Sunflower and Little Sunflower Rivers, Deer Creek and Steele Bayou and they were ALL still at flood condition at bank full. Has Louie or Jill ever even been on either of those rivers, flooded or not? Have they been down and seen the horrible environmental and wildlife devastation caused by prolonged backwater flooding. I personally doubt it.
Michael Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works stated, "Science matters. We put together a plan amongst the resource agencies and the Army Corps of Engineers that we all think protects the interests that have been long at issue, which are the fish and wildlife resources and the wetland issues. This is a science-based, technical plan intended to address the issues." Hear, hear!
Hank Burdine is a commissioner on the Mississippi Levee Board.