It’s been 83 years since the federal government authorized a project to protect the south Delta area of Mississippi from flooding, though the approved pumps to reallocate floodwater in the Yazoo Backwater Area into the Mississippi River never came to fruition. Now, after decades of heated battles, proponents of the pumps project are one step closer to having their wish come true.
On Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued its final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Yazoo Backwater Study Area. This comes more than five years after a major flood overwhelmed close to 500,000 acres of land, wrecking agricultural areas, destroying hundreds of homes, causing more than $800 million in damages, and adding increased risk to human health.
In its latest EIS, the Corps pronounced its backing of a plan that contains a combination of structural, operational, nonstructural, environmental enhancement, and mitigation components. The proposal includes high-volume pumps to manage water levels, 34 supplemental low-flow groundwater wells, and buyouts of some properties in the area — with the consent of the property owners.
“Property owners that do not participate in an acquisition of structures could still be offered other nonstructural measures such as flood proofing or raising of structures,” a portion of the EIS reads. “However, property owners would have to understand that there would be periods of time throughout the year when the structures could not be usable or accessible since we are not managing floodwaters below 90 feet. The plan will also focus on properties between the 90-93 foot elevation.”
The Yazoo Backwater Study Area is located in west-central Mississippi, immediately north of Vicksburg. The area extends northward about 65 miles to the latitude of Hollandale and Belzoni, comprises about 1,446 square miles, and forms a triangle. The Big Sunflower and Little Sunflower Rivers, Deer Creek, and Steele Bayou flow through the area, which consists of 30,500 residents, 80% of whom are reported to be underserved and environmentally burdened.
Plans to mitigate flooding in the south Delta were proposed in 1941. By 1978, levees and drainage structures had been constructed, but the pumps had not been installed. For decades, federal politicians, local officials, and area residents have advocated for the addition of the pumps.
Even with the Corps greenlighting the proposal, pump installation has continuously been stalled. In 2008, federal officials ruled the pump project posed a grave threat to the environment. During President-elect Donald Trump’s first term in office, the federal government reversed course and approved the project. That was derailed in 2021 when the Environmental Protection Agency restored the 2008 ruling, prohibiting pumps from being constructed.
RELATED: ‘We’re in a good position’: Hyde-Smith optimistic about future of Yazoo pumps
Perpetual flooding in the south Delta has yielded a detrimental blow to Mississippi’s agriculture industry and small businesses alike. According to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture, the agriculture sector employs 17% of the state’s workforce and is a nearly $9 billion industry. The Yazoo Backwater Study Area, in particular, is within the top 10% of the U.S. agriculture production for catfish, rice, corn, and soybeans.
Proponents of the pumps argue that the pumps would protect Mississippians in the south Delta from flooding while simultaneously clearing the land of floodwater to the benefit of farmers. Critics of the proposal, including social justice advocates, environmental activists, and conservation groups, maintain that the project would damage up to 200,000 acres of “ecologically significant wetland.”
Instead of installing the pumps, the groups argue that a better plan would consist of elevating homes and roads in the region while turning croplands into wetlands. Nonetheless, the Corps’ proposed water management plan is designed to reduce backwater flooding for local communities and agricultural production while ensuring that necessary measures are in place to offset any impacts to wetlands, fish, wildlife, and their habitats.
“This final EIS marks a significant step forward in our ongoing commitment to address the challenges of flood risk management in the Yazoo Backwater area,” Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jaime Pinkham said. “Our collaborative approach with the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and local entities, showcases the strength of interagency partnerships in developing solutions that reduce the flood risk to local communities and infrastructure, and safeguard our natural resources.”
Mississippi-based U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith expressed great pleasure with the Corps’ most recent announcement.
“This milestone would not have been possible without collaboration from Yazoo Backwater Area residents, homeowners, business owners, and farmers,” Wicker said. “For decades, the government promised flood control solutions to the people of the South Delta. Today’s announcement puts us one step closer to preventing further hardship, loss, and frustration in the region. It is time to finish the pumps.”
Hyde-Smith added that multiple federal agencies being in lockstep with one another to get this project across the finish line will aid in the pumps being constructed.
“A lot of work has gone into getting this final EIS, which puts us closer to seeing our goal on the horizon—namely getting to the Record of Decision that should allow us to finally get to work providing flood protection to the Yazoo Backwater Area,” Hyde-Smith said. “With the Corps, EPA, and Fish and Wildlife Service all on the same page, we are closer to construction than we’ve been in a very long time. I strongly encourage those living in the Delta and elsewhere in Mississippi to push these federal agencies to finish the pumps.”
The public review period of the EIS will end on Monday, December 30.
