The deadline for public comments on a new review of the Yazoo Pump Project is approaching.
Through June 15, you can submit your comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as they prepare a “Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement” for the project, which proponents say could help to ease flooding concerns in the Mississippi Delta.
Related: MS Levee Board: “Build the pumps to help the environment”
“Significant input from Mississippians, who understand how the lack of the pumps has harmed homes, property, and the environment, will make a difference in the steps the Army Corps takes on the Yazoo Backwater pumps,” said Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Army Corps.
The Senator went on to say that the pumps could go a long way in addressing an issue that has continued to impact the region.
“In the past, the voices of Mississippians and residents directly affected by catastrophic backwater flooding in particular, have been drowned out by outside groups with little to no connection to or understanding of the importance of this effort. We need to correct that,” she said. “There is still time to make our voices heard and to play an important role in giving the South Delta the flood control it has needed for almost 80 years.”
The review of the project began in early 2019 after the EPA originally vetoed it back in 2008 due to environmental concerns.
According to Hyde-Smith’s office, the June 15 deadline is the first set in the SEIS schedule, which includes an October 2020 goal to complete the SEIS report and release it to agencies and the public for review and comment. This could then lead to an Army Corps decision on the Yazoo Backwater Pump project in January 2021, opening the doors for actual construction. The new analysis will include wetland, aquatic, terrestrial, waterfowl, mitigation, endangered species, economic and other analysis.
Submit comments regarding the SEIS:
- By email to YazooBackwater@usace.army.mil
- By postal mail to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, ATTN: CEMVK-PPMD, 4155 E. Clay St., Room 248, Vicksburg MS 39183.
- By phone to Mr. Kenneth Parrish at 601-631-5006.
